Antonino Galofaro (in Rome), edited by Laura Laplaud
modified to
09:11, January 05, 2023
A pope buries another resigning pope this Thursday, a first in the history of the Church. The Mass presided over by Pope Francis will begin at 9:30 a.m. in Saint Peter’s Square. But given the circumstances, the Vatican had to modify the funeral rite: the mass will be slightly different from the funeral of a reigning pontiff.
The funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI will take place this Thursday at the Vatican. His coffin will be placed in the forecourt of St. Peter’s Basilica before the start of the mass which will be celebrated by Pope Francis from 9:30 a.m. This ceremony looks a little different from the previous ones.
No final pleas from the Diocese of Rome
For good reason, it is a pope emeritus who will be buried. The Vatican has therefore made some changes to the funeral mass. “There will not be the final supplications of the Diocese of Rome and the Eastern Patriarchs. These were special greetings intended for the reigning pope. There will also be small changes in the prayers and we will speak of pope emeritus and not of pope “, explains Angela Ambrosetti, Vaticanist for the Stampa press agency.
The outfit of the deceased modified
To emphasize this difference, the outfit of the deceased is also modified. Benedict XVI will not wear a pallium, a strip of cloth placed on the shoulders as a sign of authority, but a simple red chasuble. “He would have had the right to have three, one as Archbishop of Munich, one as Dean of the Sacred College and another as Pope. But the Vatican has chosen not to put any, at least for the moment. “, continues Angela Ambrosetti.
After Mass, the coffin will enter St. Peter’s Basilica. Benedict XVI will be buried there in the crypt, far from the eyes of the faithful and the cameras.