St. Peter’s Basilica
Tomb of Pope Benedict XVI. open to the public
Joseph Ratzinger lies in the tomb of his Polish predecessor, Pope John Paul II, in the grotto of St. Peter’s Basilica. photo
© Gregorio Borgia/AP/dpa
Visitors can descend again into the grotto of St. Peter’s Basilica. The tomb of the emeritus pope is now also accessible there.
The Vatican has unveiled the tomb of the late Pope Benedict XVI. made available to the public. On Sunday, visitors to St. Peter’s Basilica were able to descend back into the grotto, where the 95-year-old was buried on Thursday. A stone sculpture is mounted on the wall above his tomb, covered by a stone plaque bearing his name. The tombs of numerous popes are located in the caves.
Joseph Ratzinger – Benedict’s real name – lies in the tomb of his Polish predecessor, Pope John Paul II. Years ago, his remains were brought upstairs in the basilica near Michelangelo’s Pietà. Benedict died on New Year’s Eve morning at the Vatican’s Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, where he lived in the years following his 2013 resignation. Born in Bavaria, he was the head of the Catholic Church from 2005 to 2013.