“A great pope, despite the criticism”: it is with sadness and prayers that the faithful reacted on Saturday morning in Saint Peter’s Square at the time of the announcement of the death of Benedict XVI. “I am very sad,” a 30-year-old Italian faithful, Davide Di Tommaso, from the small region of Molise (in southern Italy), told AFP a few minutes after the Vatican’s official announcement. . “I knew it at the very moment,” he says, pointing to the majestic square surrounded by Bernini’s famous colonnade. “We are really devastated” by the death of the pope, 95 years old and whose state of health had deteriorated in recent days.
His body will be on display from Monday in the solemn setting of St. Peter’s Basilica, which overlooks the square. In view of the preparations, access to the basilica and the square will be closed to the public at midday, as indicated by a message broadcast on giant screens.
“Ah, Benedict XVI is dead? I knew he was very ill.”
Charbel Youssef, a 31-year-old Frenchman on a pilgrimage with a group, has also just heard the news: “The first reaction is prayer,” he breathes, a crucifix around his neck. “We prayed, we made the sign of the cross for the salvation of his soul,” he adds, visibly moved. “He was a fighting pope who deeply loved the Church. He really fulfilled his role as pastor on Earth,” he comments about the pontificate of Benedict XVI, who surprised the whole world by resigning in 2013 for health reasons.
On the outskirts of the square, under a big blue sky, journalists are setting up for the first television sets while the faithful and tourists gradually learn the news, often via a notification received on their smartphone. “Why all this media? “Amazed an English-speaking tourist. “Ah, Benedict XVI is dead? I knew he was very sick, ”she adds, looking sorry. Many tourists continue to take “selfies” in front of the nativity scene and the Christmas tree, indifferent to the news.
“Despite the criticism, he was truly a great pope”
After eight years of pontificate (2005-2013) marked by multiple crises, Benedict XVI was overtaken in early 2022 by the drama of pedocrime in the Church. Questioned by a report in Germany on his management of sexual violence when he was Archbishop of Munich, he broke his silence to ask for “pardon” but assured that he had never covered up a child criminal. “Despite the criticism, he was truly a great pope,” emphasizes Davide Di Tommaso. “I remember the great charity that animated him,” said Charbel Youssef for his part.
An American tourist, Michael Dauphinee, returns to him on the “fascinating” decision of Joseph Ratzinger to resign, a first for a pope since the Middle Ages. “Finding the courage to say, ‘I am not what my church needs right now,’ I think is a really impressive decision, in a world where people are struggling for power,” he said. he. “I am a Protestant myself, but as a leader he gave a great example of how to accept his own limits,” he adds, again welcoming a “significant decision”.