The Vatican confirms where Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI will be buried

The Pope emeritus Benedict XVIwho died on December 31 at the age of 95, will be buried in the tomb occupied by John Paul II in the crypt dedicated to the popes under Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni confirmed today.

Bruni explained that Benedict XVI had said -as his biographer Peter Seewald recounted- his desire to be buried in that place of the Vatican grottoes occupied by the remains of John Paul II until May 2011, when the coffin was again exhibited in St. Peter’s Basilica after being beatified by the German Pope.

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What will be the tomb of the emeritus pontiff also belonged to the also holy Pope John XXIII and is located a few meters from that of Saint Peter and before the graves of two queens, Cristina of Sweden and Carlota of Cyprus.

Benedict XVI will also have, as happened with John Paul II, a simple white marble tombstone with the inscription of the years of his pontificate in Latin.

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The burial will take place just after the funeral that Pope Francis will celebrate this Thursday at 9:30 a.m. (8:30 GMT) in Saint Peter’s Square. after the three days of burning chapel inside the basilica for the last farewell of the faithful that opened today.

This photo taken on January 2, 2023 by Vatican media shows people waiting in line to pay their respects before the body of emeritus Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Basilica. (AFP).

The Vatican spokesman confirmed that the only delegations officially present will be those of Italy and Germanyalthough it is not yet known by whom they will be composed.

The rest of the participants – Bruni explained – will do so voluntarily, since there are no invitations from the Vatican since Benedict XVI ceased to be Head of the Catholic Church and of the Vatican State after his resignation in February 2013.

Some details of the funeral liturgy also remain to be defined, since it will not be the obsequies of a reigning pope, as Benedict XVI was the first pontiff to resign since the time of Gregory XII, six centuries ago.

For example, it has not been made known if, as tradition dictates, The Pope’s body will be housed in three coffins: one made of cypress lined with crimson velvet and embedded in another four-millimetre-thick lead coffin, in turn embedded in another made of elm wood.

Bruni also did not clarify whether the so-called “novendiales” will be proclaimed, that is, the nine-day mourning period in the Church.

The remains of the German pope were exposed today in the Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican from 9:00 local time (8:00 GMT) so that the faithful can say goodbye.

The basilica will remain open for ten hours on Monday, but this period will increase on Tuesday and Wednesday, as the faithful will be able to pass before the body of the deceased pope from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (6:00-18:00 GMT).

Source: Elcomercio