>
Thousands of people have lined up to pay their respects to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at St. Peter’s Basilica, where he will rest for three days before a ‘simple’ funeral at the Vatican on Thursday.
The doors of the basilica were opened shortly after 9 am today so that the public, some of whom had waited for hours, could pay their respects to the late pontiff.
The frail 95-year-old died at 9:34 a.m. Saturday at the Vatican monastery, where he had lived since his surprise retirement in 2013. He was the first pope to retire from the papacy in 600 years.
His body, clad in a mitre, a bishop’s headdress, and a red cloak-like vestment in preparation, was placed on a simple dais, with two Swiss Guards standing on either side as worshipers passed by.
The body of Pope Benedict on public display in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, where the public pay their respects.
A long queue formed to enter the basilica to see Benedict, who was the first pope to retire in 600 years in 2013.
The body of Pope Benedict XVI will lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica for public viewing for three days before a ‘simple’ funeral at the Vatican on Thursday.
People inside St. Peter’s Basilica looking at the body of Pope Benedict XVI, who died at 9:34 a.m. Saturday.
Benedict’s body lying in state so that the public can come to the basilica and pay their respects to the former Pope.
By midmorning, the queue to enter the basilica snaked around St. Peter’s Square.
Filippo Tuccio, 35, arrived from Venice on an overnight train to view the body of German-born Benedict.
‘I wanted to pay tribute to Benedict because he played such a key role in my life and upbringing. I got here around 7:30 am, after leaving Venice last night,” he said.
“When I was young I participated in the World Youth Days,” he added, referring to the revelries of the young faithful that take place periodically and are attended by popes.
Tuccio added that he had studied theology and “his pontificate accompanied me during my university years.”
‘He was very important to me, because of who I am, my way of thinking, my values. That’s why he wanted to fire me today.
Benedict, born Joseph Ratzinger in Marktl, Germany, will remain in state until Wednesday and his funeral will take place Thursday in St. Peter’s Square, presided over by Pope Francis.
The Vatican has said it will be a simple, solemn and sober ceremony in accordance with his wishes.
The “simple” funeral is in accordance with the wishes of the former pope, who for decades as a German cardinal served as guardian of the Church’s doctrinal orthodoxy before being elected pope in 2005.
Papal funerals typically attract heads of state from around the world, but the Vatican has said official delegations will come only from Italy and Benedict XVI’s native Germany.
The doors of the basilica were opened shortly after 9 am today so that the public, some of whom had waited for hours, could pay their respects to the late pontiff.
People queued outside the basilica to be able to enter and pay their respects to Pope Benedict
Nuns and other members of the puli queue to view the body of Pope Benedict XVI during the three days of rest.
By mid-morning, the queue to enter the basilica snaked around St. Peter’s Square as people waited to pay homage to the former pope.
Benedict XVI’s body can be viewed during the three days of rest and the Vatican has said Thursday’s funeral will be a simple, solemn and sober ceremony in accordance with his wishes.
A portrait of the late former Pope wearing a black mourning ribbon on display alongside a condolence book at the Apostolic Nunciature in Berlin.
Representatives of other countries or organizations may attend in a private capacity, the diplomats were told.
Some high-profile people had a moment in the basilica before the general public to pay their respects, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the far-right leader who has in the past expressed admiration for Benedict’s conservative leanings.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella and his daughter Laura Mattarella also paid their respects to the former pope.
Security officials expected at least 25,000 people to pass by the body on the first day of the wake.
Marina Ferrante, 62, was among them. The Roman arrived an hour before the doors opened and she was thrilled when she explained why she had come.
“I think his main legacy was teaching us how to be free,” he said.
“He had a special intelligence to say what was essential in his faith and that was contagious” for other faithful.
“What I thought when he died was that I would like to be as free as he was.”
Mountain Butorac, 47, originally from Atlanta but living in Rome, called the chance to see the body “an incredible experience.”
Butorac said he arrived 90 minutes before sunrise and left the basilica half an hour after it opened.
“I loved Benedict, I loved him as a cardinal (Joseph Ratzinger), when he was elected pope and also after he retired,” Butorac said. I think he was some kind of grandfather of the people who lived in the Vatican.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the far-right leader who has in the past expressed admiration for Benedict XVI’s conservative leanings, paid her respects to the former pope.
Ms. Meloni was seen paying her respects to Benedict, in St. Peter’s Basilica, where he will remain in state for three days.
The body of Pope Benedict being transported to the basilica in preparation for the three days of his laying in
Italian President Sergio Mattarella and his daughter Laura Mattarella also paid their respects to the former Pope.
Huge queues formed outside the basilica as people came to pay their respects to the former pope.
Benedict will remain in state until Wednesday and his funeral will be held on Thursday in Saint Peter’s Square, presided over by Pope Francis.
He came to the Vatican to pray for Benedict when he was sick, ‘so I wanted to be here today to say goodbye. I think he and Francis were close, they cared for each other,” he said.
A methodical, shy and very private German, Benedict had a hard time putting himself in the shoes of the charismatic John Paul II during his eight-year pontificate, inviting constant comparisons in the media and among the Church’s faithful of 1.3 billion. of members.
The public display of the body of the former Pope lasts 10 hours today in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Twelve hours of viewing are scheduled for the Tuesday and Wednesday before the funeral on Thursday morning.
Pope Francis prayed for his predecessor’s passage to heaven as he presided over a special New Year’s Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday.
Francis, who looked tired after arriving at St. Peter’s Basilica in a wheelchair for mass on Sunday.
Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope number 265 on April 19, 2005, at the age of 78, and chose the name Benedict.
He spent eight years leading the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics before stepping down in 2013, citing old age and declining health.