The tomb of Benedict XVI ready to be visited in the Vatican

The tomb of the pope emeritus Benedict XVIwho died last December 31 at the age of 95, can be visited from this Sunday, when the crypt of the basilica of Saint Peter of Vatican It has been opened to the public for the first time after the burial and funeral of the German pontiff last Thursday.

At 9:00 a.m. local time (08:00 GMT) the crypt where the popes rest was opened, under the floor of the basilica, and visitors began to enter, mostly priests, nuns and faithful in the first minutes after the opening, as best they could. check EFE.

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Some of them stopped to pray in front of the simple tomb of Benedict XVI, on which there was not yet a portrait of the pontiff who was the protagonist of a historic resignation from the pontificate in 2013 and which was adorned with flowers on both sides of it.

The tomb of the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on January 8, 2023. (Photo by Vincenzo PINTO / AFP) (VINCENZO PINTO /)

The remains of the emeritus rest, at his express wish, in what until 2011 was the tomb of his predecessor, John Paul IIand, as tradition dictates, they do so in a triple coffin: one in cypress wood, introduced into a second one of zinc and sealed and covered in a third one in varnished elm.

The body of Benedict XVI was exposed for three days in a funeral chapel in the Vatican basilica through which almost 200,000 faithful passed and after which it was placed in the first box, lined inside with crimson velvet.

People pay tribute to the tomb of the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on January 8, 2023. (Photo by Vincenzo PINTO / AFP) (VINCENZO PINTO /)

He wore the pontifical vestments, such as the tunic or the red cloak (the color of papal mourning), although without the canopy, a symbol of pontifical jurisdiction, since he resigned, while his face was covered by a white silk scarf and in his hands left a rosary

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Inside the coffin were also placed the coins minted during his pontificate, the parchment with a brief account of the 8 eight years of papacy and the canopies that he wore as Archbishop of Munich and Rome.

The burial took place after the celebration of his funeral, presided over by Francisco, who highlighted the “wisdom, delicacy and dedication” of the pope emeritus, and officiated by the dean of the college of cardinals, the Italian Giovani Battista Re.

Source: Elcomercio