More than 65,000 faithful see the body of Benedict XVI on the first day of his wake at the Vatican

The Basilica of San Pedro, where the remains of the emeritus pontiff rest Benedict XVIreceived 65,000 faithful this Monday on the first day of the three that the burning chapel will last, the Vatican reported.

The data far exceeded expectations, since the Government delegation in Rome had estimated 35,000 daily visitors during each of the three days of the funeral chapel until the funeral, which will be held on January 5.

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That initial number was surpassed when around 2:00 p.m. (local time), and just five hours after its opening, more than 40,000 people had already attended the exhibition of the remains.

For the funeral, presided over by the Pope Francisco next Thursday also in the st peter’s squarethe daily presence of up to 60,000 people in the Vatican was expected, according to the same sources, although those estimates may now be revised upwards.

People wait in line to pay homage to the body of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, on January 2, 2023. (ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP).

For now, the Vatican confirmed that the only delegations officially present will be those of Italy and Germany, although the Spanish government confirmed to Efe on Monday that the emeritus queen of Spain, Sofía, and the Spanish minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, will attend the funeral.

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The security of the Italian capital has been reinforced on the occasion of the funeral chapel and the funeral of the emeritus pontiff Benedict XVI, with the presence of more than a thousand law enforcement officers and the closure of the airspace in San Pedro Square during the funeral that Pope Francis will preside over next Thursday.

“Our objective is to guarantee the safety of those who wish to pay their respects,” said the prefect of Rome or government delegate, Bruno Frattasi, explaining the measures adopted at the meeting of the provincial commission for public order and security on the occasion of the operation deployed during the last goodbye to the German pope.

“We will have at least 1,000 law enforcement officers on the ground for the funeral, a number not less than what was planned for New Year’s Eve,” Frattasi said at the end of the meeting held this Sunday, when he confirmed that the day of the funerals “An interdiction of the airspace over Saint Peter’s Square is planned.”

People take pictures of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI as his body lies in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, on January 2, 2023. (ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP).

In addition, during all three days of the funeral chapel, there will be a deployment of various mobile medical units and ambulances, as well as 500 Civil Protection volunteers who will also have the task of reporting on queues and waiting.

The funeral chapel of the pope emeritus, who passed away on December 31 at the age of 95, opened today at 9:00 am (8:00 GMT), for the last goodbye of the faithful, hundreds of whom have been waiting in line since the early hours of the morning. dawn to enter the basilica of San Pedro and say goodbye to the pontiff.

The basilica will remain open this Monday for ten hours, but that schedule will increase on Tuesday and Wednesday, as the public will 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