The ceremony, which will begin at 9:30 a.m., will not have a state character, as it is an emeritus pope. The rite will be presided over by another living pope, Francis, something that has not happened since 1802.
0:43
Euskaraz irakurri: Benedikto XVI.aren aldeko hileta hartuko du San Petri plazak, 100,000 people inguru bilduta
Saint Peter’s Square in the Vatican hosts today, Thursday, the funeral of the emeritus pope Benedict XVIpresided over by his successor, Francis, and before tens of thousands of faithful and authorities – about 100,000 people are expected, according to the estimate of the Rome Police Headquarters.
The funeral will begin at 09:30 a.m. at the doors of the basilica, although the coffin in which the remains of the German pope will rest has left the temple 40 minutes before, where the funeral chapel has been installed, visited by 200,000 people.
The rite will be presided over by Pope Francis, although it will be officiated by Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals.
Strong police device
The Vatican city is armored with security agents and already tonight, an intense movement of faithful, tourists and curious people has been perceived. At 06:00, access to Saint Peter’s Square began to be allowed for the faithful, who slowly and orderly began to take their seats.
To access St. Peter’s Square, it is necessary to pass controls and through a metal detector, and all parked vehicles have been closed to traffic and removed from the streets adjacent to the Vatican.
According to the security plan approved by the Police of the Italian capital, the airspace in the entire area will be closed and helicopters, snipers, special forces, including those to fight terrorism, firefighters, and municipal police have been made available. In total, there will be more than 1,000 agents.
funeral with changes
The ceremony will be solemn but “sober”, at the express wish of this pope, and will not have a state character, since Benedict XVI was not a “reigning” pope after resigning in 2013, in an unprecedented gesture in six centuries of history.
Thus, the Vatican has had to undertake a series of “adaptations”; for example, the prayers of the final supplications will be dispensed with, those of the Church of Rome and the Eastern Churches, which are very specific to the active pope.
The funeral will last for about three hours and, after the rites, the triple coffin of Benedict XVI will be transferred to the crypt of the Vatican basilica, where the remains of John Paul II rest, among others.
Another peculiarity of these funerals is that they will be presided over by another living pope, Francis, something that had not happened since 1802when Pius VII had to officiate the funeral of his predecessor, Pius VI, who had previously died in France as a prisoner of Napoleon.
Source: Eitb
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
