Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, who died on Saturday at the age of 95, will be dismissed by the faithful and his successor Francisco, during this week, with a three-day funeral chapel and a solemn funeral in St. Peter’s Square.
The rites will begin this Monday, when the remains of the German pontiff will be exhibited in a burning chapel for three days in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican starting at 9 local time (four hours less in Argentina) so that the faithful .
On Thursday, Pope Francis will preside over the solemn funeral of his predecessor starting at 9:30 (5:30 in Argentina) in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, an unprecedented event in more than 600 years for the revolutionary decision of Benedict XVI, the great German theologian Joseph Ratzinger, to resign on February 28, 2012, almost a decade ago.
Ratzinger died of old age at 9.30 this Saturday, after a rapid deterioration in his already fragile health since Christmas, in his room on the first floor of the Mother Church Monastery in the Vatican gardens.
His body is being transferred to the nearby St. Peter’s Basilica. This same Saturday, preparations will begin for dress him with the parameters of pontiff.
The specialists of the Roman Signaracci family will also arrive, who since June 1963, when John XXIII died of stomach cancer, have been embalm the bodies of the popes.
The mummification process It is performed, after drawing the blood from the body, with a solution that is a mixture of formaldehyde, water and chemicals, as well as preservatives, fixatives, germicides and dyes similar to the color of the blood.
The embalming of deceased popes is an ancient tradition In the Catholic Church.
The funeral chapel of Benedict XVI will take place from this Monday 2 January in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican and the body will remain for a final farewell to the faithful until 4 January.
unprecedented protocol
The Vatican protocols for funerals are unprecedented, because the case of a pope emeritus is unique, whose funeral will be held with the presence of his successor, so the time will not come for the cardinal electors present at the meetings prior to the funeral, then the Conclave for elect the 267th Pope in history.
This same Saturday it was decided what the solemn, respectful funerals will be like Joseph Ratzinger’s wish that they, too, be sober.
A Pope has died and the Holy See, which is also a state that maintains relations with 197 countries, will receive high-level delegations from many countries for the funeral, including Argentina.
The Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, explained after announcing the death of the pope emeritus, that Ratzinger received extreme unction on Wednesday at the monastery of Marer Ecclesiae.
Bruni said that the will of Benedict XVI, who explicitly asked that all of his funeral ceremonies take place under the sign of simplicity.
The liturgist Father Claudio Magnoli, consultant to the Congregation for Divine Worship, said that the only difference he noticed compared to the traditional rites for a deceased Pope is that while the funeral is presided over by the dean of cardinals, in this case the death of the first pope emeritus in history, could be presided over by his successor, Pope Francis.
After the funeral, the coffin will be taken to the Vatican grottoes where it is located, 30 meters below the floor of the Vatican Pontifical Basilica, the cemetery of the popes, near the tomb of St. Peter, the first bishop of Rome.
Two graves and one unknown
The Pope Emeritus is supposed to be buried in this place and there is a touch of mystery. In which? Because there are two tombs that can accommodate his remains. There is the famous niche where the bodies of John XXIII and John Paul II were successively.
Both were proclaimed saints on different dates by Pope Jorge Bergoglio and their remains were transferred to the tombs located in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The resignation of Benedict XVI in February 2012 created the problem: there could not be a single tomb when there were two popes. A sarcophagus was then built which is located nearby.
It seems that Joseph Ratzinger expressed among his last wishes the desire to be buried in the famous tomb that housed John XXIII and John Paul II.
But Francis would also have expressed his desire to be buried in that already famous tomb to the archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Vatican correspondent
B. C
Source: Clarin
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.