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The mortal remains of Benedict XVI They were introduced on Wednesday afternoon, after the funeral chapel had closed, in the cypress wood coffin, the first of the three in which he will be buried, in a ceremony that took place inside the Basilica of Saint Peter and Thus, everything will be prepared for the funeral mass that Pope Francis will officiate tomorrow.
After the three days in which close to 200,000 people attended the basilica of Saint Peter to say a last goodbye to pope emerituswho died on December 31 at the age of 95, was, as tradition dictates, placed in a cypress coffin lined with red velvet and in a ceremony the “rógito” was read, a scroll on which life and most important works are written. important of Benedict XVI and that was later placed in the coffin.
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Later, covered the face of the Pope with a white silk veil and also the medals minted during the pontificate were placed in the coffinas well as the canopies, the ornament worn on the shoulders, from when he was Bishop of Munich and Rome. The same procedure intended for a “reigning” pope.
The coffin closing rite was attended by the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re; the archpriest of Saint Peter’s Basilica, Mauro Gambetti; the vicar for the diocese of Rome, Angelo de Donatis, and the president of the Vatican City State Governorate, the Spanish cardinal Fernando Vergéz.
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This act was also witnessed by his family during the almost 10 years he lived in the Mater Ecclessiae monastery, in the Vatican gardens, after his resignation: his personal secretary, Archbishop George Ganswein and the four women from the Memores Domini Institute who have taken care of him during this time.
After the coffin is closed, it will remain inside the basilica until tomorrow when it will be taken to Saint Peter’s Square for the funeral mass that will be presided over by Francisco and concelebrated by the dean of the cardinals, due to the mobility problems of the Argentine pontiff.
Only after the funeral the coffin will return inside the basilica for burial in the vatican grottoeswhere the popes are buried.
The coffin will be sealed with red ribbons, on which will be affixed the seals of the Apostolic Chamber, the Prefecture of the Papal Household, the Pope’s Liturgical Celebrations Office and the Vatican Chapter.
The cypress box will be embedded in another four-millimeter-thick lead box and this one in another varnished elm wood.
On the latter they will place a simple crucifix and the shield of the deceased pontiff and a tombstone, on which the name of the pope is written in Latin and when he was born and died, it will cover the tomb that will be the same as John Paul II until 2011 when he was transferred to a chapel of Saint Peter after his beatification, according to the express wish of Joseph Ratzinger.
Source: Elcomercio
I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.
