One Pope laid to rest another Thursday in an extraordinary ceremony at the Vatican as the Catholic faithful bade farewell to Benedict XVI, who resigned the papacy a decade ago.
Mourners crowded into St Peter’s Square starting in the early morning, when fog obscured the basilica’s dome. Clergy and lay people alike created a mosaic with their garments – from the red skullcaps of the cardinals and the white robes of priests to the simple gray tunics of monks and the puffy dark jackets of the ordinary faithful. They cheered as pallbearers, in morning suits and white gloves, carried Benedict’s simple casket out of the basilica and placed it on an ornate carpet in front of the altar in the vast square.
Pope Francis then presided over the requiem Mass, unusual because it saw a reigning pontiff eulogize a retired one. Francis paused at the end to touch the coffin, the final public moment together for two men who have lived side-by-side in the Vatican since Benedict announced he would be the first pope in 600 years to step down.
Pope Francis, centre, sits as the coffin of late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI St Peter’s Square is carrying during a funeral mass at the Vatican, on Thursday, 5th January, 2023. PICTURE: AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino.
Faithful attend the funeral mass for late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican, on Thursday, 5th January, 2023. PICTURE: AP Photo/Ben Curtis.
People occupy their positions at the St Peter’s Square at the Vatican ahead of the funeral mass for late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, on Thursday, 5th January, 2023. PICTURE: AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis.
Cardinals arrive in procession ahead of the funeral mass for late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican, on Thursday, 5th January, 2023. PICTURE: AP Photo/Andrew Medichini.
Faithful attend the funeral mass for late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican, on Thursday, 5th January, 2023. PICTURE: AP Photo/Ben Curtis.
Dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, centre, censes the coffin containing the body of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI during his funeral Mass presided over by Pope Francis, right, in St Peter’s Square at The Vatican, on Thursday, 5th January, 2023. PICTURE: AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis.
Members of the church attend the funeral mass for late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican, on Thursday, 5th January, 2023. PICTURE: AP Photo/Ben Curtis.
People hold a banner as they gather in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican for the funeral mass for late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, on Thursday, 5th January, 2023. PICTURE: AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino.
Priests prepare for the Holy Communion during the funeral mass for late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican, on Thursday, 5th January, 2023. PICTURE: AP Photo/Ben Curtis.
Pope Francis, centre, attends a funeral Mass next to the coffin of late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI St Peter’s Square at the Vatican, on Thursday, 5th January, 2023. PICTURE: AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino.
In this image released on Thursday, 5th January, 2023, by the Vatican Media news service, Pope Francis touches the coffin of late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI after his funeral mass in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican PICTURE: Vatican Media via AP.
Dignitaries watch as the coffin of late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is carried away after a funeral mass in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican, on Thursday, 5th January, 2023. PICTURE: AP Photo/Andrew Medichini.
