End of the burning chapel in the Vatican: rites, symbols and a special mention from Francis to Benedict XVI

The last day of the funeral chapel, of the body of Joseph Ratzinger in St. Peter’s Basilica, was started by the Argentine Pope in the nearby Paul VI Hall of Wednesday General Audience with a large presence of faithful. Before starting the catechesis, Francis asked to “join those who pay homage to Benedict XVI”.

“I turn my thoughts to him, who was a great teacher of catechism. His sharp thinking was not referential but ecclesiastical. He has always wanted to accompany us to the encounter with Jesus, the Crucified and Risen One, the Living One and the Lord”. Jesus Christ “has always been the goal to which Benedict has led us, taking us by the hand”.

“Help us to rediscover ourselves in Christ the joy of believing and the hope of living”, concluded the Pope.

Blessed, holy now!

The crowd gathered in Aula Nervi for the general audiences responded with a repeated cry. “Benedicto, already saint, Benedicto, already saint” .

In St. Peter’s Square, in the Basilica and throughout the Vatican, although this Wednesday was a working day because the dead Pope was not a reigning pontiff, security measures are increased to guarantee order while the faithful who arrive from all over Italy and from other countries are continuously increasing.

In the first two days, at least 135,000 people filed in front of the coffin with the remains of the German pope emeritus, according to estimates, and more people are expected this Thursday at the funeral that Pope Bergoglio will preside.

Francisco entered this Wednesday on foot, enthusiastically greeted by the faithful in the Wednesday general audience, helping themselves with a stick.

Although he is recovering from his knee pain, he will preside over Benedict’s funeral on Thursday, concelebrating with the dean of the sacred college of cardinals, Giovan Battista Re, and the secretary of state, Piero Parolín.

The Pope can like this stay seated in part of the ceremony and rest the knee with severe osteoarthritis.

Inside San Pedro, thousands of faithful marched this Wednesday to pay homage to the Pope Emeritus, whose body rests at the foot of the altar of confession and Bernini’s large black canopy in the center of the basilica.

signs and symbols

The Church has always spoken through sacred signs and in the case of the funeral of Benedict XVI the indications explain it The reigning Pope is not dead.

On the morning of December 31st, when Benedict died, the bells of San Pedro did not ringwhich instead rang on February 28, 2013 as the helicopter that transported Ratzinger from the Vatican to the papal residence of Castel Gandolfo was being lifted, indicating that he was no longer the reigning Pope.

The pastoral cross that the popes wore it’s not in the coffin why do you use it now Francis and it is another indication that Benedict is not the reigning Pope. You didn’t even see the canopy which during his lifetime was granted to him three times to indicate his jurisdiction as archbishop.

When the coffin is closed at the end of the funeral chapel, a deed will be placed inside a metal containment tube summary of his pontificate. Also the canopy, medals and coins minted during his reign.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said that the celebration of the funeral “repeats in general terms the model of the pontiff’s funeral”.

the rites of the end

But the liturgy has been changed by some “original elements”, recognized Bruni. He explained that this includes a reference to the Pope emeritus. Furthermore, the supplications of the Diocese of Rome and of the Eastern churches at the time of the burial will be suppressed, as it is a question of funerals and not of a reigning Pope.

After 7 pm, once the funeral chapel is closed, the master of liturgical ceremonies, Monsignor Diego Ravelle, reads the “deed”, an elegy in Latin which traces the principal acts of the life of the deceased pontiff.

Then Monsignor Ravelle extends a veil of white silk on Benedict’s face, sprinkled with holy water. The coffin is closed.

Funeral services will begin Thursday at 8:45. The body will be transferred from St. Peter’s Basilica to the square, where the rosary will be recited.

Then the funeral mass will begin for the pontiff who revolutionized the Church with his spontaneous resignation, the first to be remembered in more than 600 years, a gesture that has brought a great wind of modernization to the Church.

Although there will be only two official delegationsheaded by the presidents of Germany and Italy, because Ratzinger was not a reigning pope, many personalities of the world will arrive in a personal capacity.

After the ceremony, the Pope Emeritus will be buried. in the Vatican Grottoes.

Vatican correspondent

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