Louis de Raguenel, with AFP
modified to
4:01 p.m., January 03, 2023
According to information from Europe 1, Gérald Darmanin will represent France at the funeral of Benoit XVI this Thursday, January 5 at the Vatican. The Minister of the Interior and Overseas Territories is also in charge of the Central Bureau of Worship. The funeral celebrated by Pope Francis will be an unprecedented event in the history of the Catholic Church.
Gérald Darmanin will go to the Vatican this Thursday, January 5 to represent France at the funeral of Pope Benoit XVI, who died on Saturday December 31 at the age of 95, according to information from Europe 1. The Minister of the Interior and Overseas -mer is also in charge of the Central Bureau of Cults in France. The funeral celebrated by Pope Francis will be an unprecedented event in the history of the Catholic Church.
Sarkozy and Holland absent
Still according to information from Europe 1, the former heads of state Nicolas Sarkozy (2007-2012) and François Hollande (2012-2017) will not go to the funeral of the ex-pope this Thursday. Benoit XVI, whose real name is Joseph Ratzinger, was elected pope on April 19, 2005, before renouncing his functions on February 28, 2013.
On Monday, tens of thousands of the faithful marched under the gold of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome to meditate before the remains of Benedict XVI. A long queue snaked all day through St. Peter’s Square surrounded by Bernini’s colonnade, attended by numerous media and a thousand members of the police.