Thousands of Catholics have begun paying their respects to former Pope Benedict XVI at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, at the start of three days of lying-in-state before his funeral.
Queues began to form before dawn in the square in front of the basilica, where Benedict’s remains were transferred earlier from the monastery on the Vatican grounds where he died on Saturday at the age of 95.
“I came at 6:00, it seems normal to come and pay my respects to him after everything he did for the church,” said the Italian nun, Anna-Maria’s sister, who was in the queue that morning.
Benedict led the Catholic Church for eight years before becoming the first pope in six centuries to resign in 2013, citing his physical health and decline.
His successor Pope Francis will preside over the funeral on Thursday in St Peter’s Square before the remains are buried in the tomb below the Basilica.
Benedict, the German theologian, died at the monastery of Mater Ecclesiae, which had been his home for the past decade.
The Vatican on Sunday released a photo of the corpse, dressed in a red papal cassock and with a gold miter on its head, on a catafalque in the monastery’s chapel.
Members of the public will be able to pay their respects at St Peter’s Basilica from 9:00am (0800 GMT) on Monday and on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Benedict’s shock resignation creates the extraordinary situation of having two “white men” – he and Francis – in the Vatican.
His funeral will also destroy the new place.
The death of the Pope usually triggers the call of a conclave of cardinals to choose a successor, but this time Francis remains in post, and will lead the process.
Benedict’s funeral will be “solemn but simple”, the Vatican said, after which he will be buried in the papal cemetery in St Peter’s Basilica.
The Vatican has not released details of the guest list, beyond saying it will include a delegation from Italy and the German Benedict.
‘faithful servant’
The funeral of the last pope, John Paul II in 2005, drew a million faithful and heads of state from around the world, although Benedict was a more divisive figure.
A brilliant theologian, who alienated many Catholics with his staunch defense of traditional values and as the pope struggled to impose authority in the church because of a string of crises, including through clerical sexual abuse.
His successor cut a very different figure, an Argentine Jesuit who was most at home among the flock and who had sought to build a more compassionate church.
Pope Francis honored Benedict in three New Year events at the Vatican over the weekend, “thanking God for the gift of this faithful servant of the Gospel and the Church”.
Francis, 86, has raised the prospect that he might follow Benedict’s example and step down if he is unable to fulfill his duties.
In July, suffering from knee problems that forced him to rely on a wheelchair, he admitted that he had to slow down or think about getting rid of it.
Last month, Francis said he had signed a letter of resignation when he took office if his ill health prevented him from carrying out his duties.