Funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI + video link

Photo by Fabio Fistarol on Unsplash

Source: Vatican News

The funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI will take place on Thursday morning. Download the Mass booklet and follow the service live on the links below. More than 60,000 people are expected to attend, including politicians and church leaders.

From Monday morning to Wednesday evening, the body of the Emeritus Pope was lying in state in St Peter's Basilica. More than 160,000 people filed past to pray and pay their respects.

The body has now been placed in a cypress wood coffin which was closed in a private ceremony in the presence of a few close aides - among them Archbishop Georg Ganswein, Benedict's long-time secretary, and other members of the household where he lived after he resigned the papacy.

On Thursday 5 January at 8.45am. Rome time (0745 GMT), ushers will carry the coffin in procession out of the Basilica and place it on the steps facing St Peter's Square. The faithful will pray the rosary for about 45 minutes.

At 9.30am (0830 GMT) the Requiem Mass, presided over by Pope Francis, will begin. The Sistine Chapel choir will begin singing the introductory rites.

Pope Francis is giving the homily. About 120 cardinals, 400 bishops and nearly 4,000 priests will be concelebrating the Mass.

At the end of Mass, Pope Francis will recite the Final Commendation and Farewell.

He will say in Latin: "Gracious Father, we commend to your mercy Pope Emeritus Benedict, whom you made successor of Peter and shepherd of the Church, a fearless preacher of your word and a faithful minister of the divine mysteries."

The choir will then sing in Latin: "May the angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs come and welcome you and take you into the holy city, the new and eternal Jerusalem."

The pall bearers will then carry the wooden coffin back into the basilica for a private service in which it will be sealed. It will then be placed into a zinc coffin, which will be soldered shut. Both will then go into a larger, wooden coffin.

Benedict will then be buried according to his wishes in the same spot in the crypts under St Peter's Basilica where Pope John Paul II was originally interred in 2005 before his body was moved up to a chapel in the basilica in 2011.

Download the Funeral Mass Booklet here: www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/libretti/2023/20230105-libretto-esequie-sepoltura_pont-emerito.pdf

Watch a recording of the Rosary and the Mass on the Vatican Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4c46fv8pRQ