People Are Mourning Benedict XVI Body After His Death
Many people are mourning benedict xvi body in Rome. In St. Peter's Basilica on Monday, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's body lay in state with his head resting on two red pillows as throngs of mourners paid their respects to the pontiff who surprised the world by resigning ten years ago.
Author:Paula M. GrahamReviewer:Rhyley CarneyJan 04, 20237.4K Shares192.1K Views
Many people are mourning Benedict XVI bodyin Rome. In St. Peter's Basilica on Monday, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's body lay in state with his head resting on two red pillows as throngs of mourners paid their respects to the pontiff who surprised the world by resigning ten years ago.
The Death Of Former Pope Benedict XVI
The body was carried on a cloth-covered wooden stretcher up the center aisle of the massive basilica to its resting place in front of the main altar under Bernini's towering bronze canopy by ten white-gloved papal gentlemen and lay assistants to pontiffs and papal households.
Following the transfer of Benedict's remains from the chapel on the monastery grounds, where the 95-year-old former pontiff passed away on Saturday morning, a Swiss Guard saluted as the body was brought in through a side entrance.
A small group of consecrated laywomen who worked in Benedict's household, along with his longstanding secretary, Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, followed the van on foot in a silent procession to the basilica.
The basilica's doors were swung open just after nine in the morning (0800 GMT), allowing the public to pay their respects to the late pontiff, who retired from the priesthood in 2013 to become the first pope to do so in 600 years. Some people had waited for hours in the gloom before dawn.
After waiting in a queue that by mid-morning wrapped around St. Peter's Square, the faithful and curious walked swiftly up the center aisle to pass by the bier.
Reactions To Pope Benedict Death
To see Benedict's body, 35-year-old Filippo Tuccio took an overnight train from Venice.
Benedict, clad in the customary red and white robes, was seated on a low dais in front of the great altar of St. Peter's, his hands clasped beneath a rosary.
According to the Vatican website, Vatican News, the pallium, which represents the authority of metropolitan archbishops, was not worn by him since it was "a symbol of jurisdiction, which is generally not utilized for a retiring prelate."
Other papal symbols and regalia, such as the silver staff bearing a crucifix, were absent.
As mourners crossed the dais in front of them, some of whom were making the sign of the cross, two Swiss Guards in their vibrant uniforms stood at attention. The pope and his palace are guarded by the Swiss Guard.
High school teacher Luciano Ippoliti, 61, of Rome, kneeled and crossed himself while maintaining eye contact with the body as security officers pushed mourners to move on immediately.
"I thanked you" Mr. Ippoliti affirmed. I owed it to him.
Prayers had to be brief because of the pace of the line. On the pope's body, a group of worshippers performed the Lord's Prayer. Others snapped pictures of Benedict as well as the basilica's main apse and transept, which have pieces by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, a famous Baroque architect.
Despite speculating that the temperaments of the current Argentine-born pope and the shy, bookish German churchman and theologian were different, Ferrante said, "I believe there is a continuity between him and Pope Francis, and whoever understands the real relationship between them and Christ can see that."
Pope Bury Traditions
Agostino Paravicini Bagliani, a historian and authority on papal history, claims that for the first 12 centuries of the church, popes were interred on the day of their deaths, typically in the evening.
According to Mr. Paravicini Bagliani, who cited a historical account of the time, this changed with the passing of Innocent III, who died in 1216 and was the first pope to lie in state.
While popes were still typically buried after three days, rules issued in 1274 regarding the election of the pope (first put into effect two years later) stipulated that voting could only occur 10 days after a pontiff's death, "and that prolonged the time of lying in state," according to Mr. Paravicini Bagliani.
Benedict's body was transported from the monastery where he had resided to St. Peter's early on Monday morning, and it will remain there until his funeral on Thursday.
Paula M. Graham
Author
Rhyley Carney
Reviewer
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