Kings, nobles, heads of state and eminent clerics from all over the world will attend Benedict XVI’s funeral. expected Thursday at the Vatican, which will be celebrated by the incumbent Pope Francis. So far, the Italian delegation, led by President Sergio Mattarella, and the German delegation have officially announced their participation.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder are from Germany, according to the Vatican. It is rumored that King Philippe of Belgium and Spain’s former Queen Sofia will also attend the funeral service, accompanied by a group of Spanish prelates led by Episcopate Chief Cardinal Juan José Omella.
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda are also expected, as well as a delegation from the Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople. As official representatives of the Church in Austria, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn and the Archbishop of Salzburg, Franz Lackner, as President of the Episcopal Conference, will participate in the funeral services.
First mourning ceremony for predecessors
Benedict’s burial is considered unprecedented in Church history. For the first time, a pope celebrates the mourning ceremony for a predecessor. Protocol experts are still working on the rite’s liturgy, and Francis will have the final say. The Dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, or the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, are likely to side with the pope, who is likely to remain seated during the funeral ceremony due to his knee problems.
No nine-day mourning period
Unlike the burial of an incumbent pope, the nine-day mourning period, which bears the Latin name “Novemdiales”, is omitted from Benedict’s burial. Normally, after the death of a pope, the cardinals must also choose his successor. This does not apply to Benedict, who on February 11, 2013 became the first pope in more than six centuries to resign to make way for his successor Francis. It is still unclear whether the traditional white silk cloth is placed on the face of the deceased when the coffin is closed, as is customary at papal funerals.
According to Vatican rules, a pope must be buried four to six days after his death. The retired pope wanted to be buried in the former tomb of his predecessor John Paul II in St. Peter’s Basilica. After John Paul’s beatification in 2011, his body was reburied in a chapel in the aisle of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Adoption still possible
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Joseph Ratzinger’s body, dressed in the red mitre and liturgical vestments and with a rosary, will be laid out for the faithful to say goodbye. To ensure the safety of the pilgrims, more than 1,000 police officers have been on duty since Monday. The altar from which Pope Francis will celebrate the ceremony has already been set up in St. Peter’s Square. Chairs were also set up for the faithful and several large screens were installed to follow the ceremony.
Around 7 p.m. on Monday alone, about 65,000 people made a pilgrimage to Benedict’s body — twice as many as initially believed. According to Rome, about 70,000 people are expected at the funeral on Thursday. The pope emeritus died on Saturday at the age of 95 at the Mater Ecclesiae monastery, where he had lived since his abdication in February 2013.
Source: Krone
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