VATICAN
Funeral of Pope Benedict XVI
January 5, 2023 - Pope Francis will preside over a papal funeral of Benedict XVI, with some adaptations as he was not a reigning pope leaving behind a “sede vacante” or empty throne.
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“The liturgical celebration follows the model of a funeral service for a supreme pontiff, broadly speaking,” said Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office. It will include some new elements given the originality of the situation, and exclude others which are reserved for a reigning pontiff, such as the final prayers offered by representatives of the Eastern Catholic churches, with whom the Pope is in communion.
At the end of the Requiem Mass, Benedict XVI will be taken to the Vatican grottoes beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, where his cypress casket will be placed inside a zinc coffin, which in turn will be placed inside a wooden case and buried in the tomb formerly occupied by John Paul II until his beatification in 2011.
- Funeral Mass for Pope Benedict XVI will be based on a papal funeral (National Catholic Reporter)
- The Prayers and Readings for Pope Benedict XVI’s Funeral Mass (uCatholic)
- Pope Francis to preside at Requiem Mass for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (Vatican News)
- Benedict XVI to be buried in first tomb of Pope John Paul II (Catholic News Agency)
- St. Peters Basilica