For the first time in modern history, a sitting pope will preside over the funeral of his predecessor next week, with Pope Francis leading a “simple” ceremony for Benedict XVI, who died Saturday.
Benedict, the first pope to resign since the Middle Ages, has left the papacy – but lives in the Vatican and still wears white.
Also read: Former Pope Benedict XVI died at the age of 95
The 95-year-old will have a “simple but simple” funeral on Thursday, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told reporters in a briefing after his death.
The sudden deterioration of the former pope’s health earlier this week has raised questions about what will happen next.
The death of the Roman Catholic Pope is usually set in motion time-honored tradition, but people who have given up the papacy ask for the pope’s care?
Unlike when a previous pope has died, there is no need to call a conclave to elect a new pope, as Francis – who was elected to replace Benedict in 2013 – remains largely in office.
According to the rules established in 1996, the whale must be buried between four and six days after his death.
How and when he is buried is usually decided by cardinals who gather from around the world, and who also organize the Vatican’s nine days of mourning, known as novemdiales.
He decided because the death of a pope traditionally creates a power vacuum at the top of the church.
However, there is no such vacuum in this case, because Francis is in charge.
Last rites
The former pope’s funeral will take place in St Peter’s Square, the large square in front of the basilica, on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. (0830 GMT).
“As the Pope Emeritus wishes, the funeral will be simple,” Bruni told reporters.
Francis had warned the world of Benedict’s weakness on Wednesday, when he called on Catholics around the world to pray for him.
They later visited him at the Mater Ecclesiae monastery in the Vatican garden which is Benedict’s home in retirement.
Bruni said the former pope on the same day received the “anointing of the sick”, or “last rites” as it is often called, a Catholic tradition in which a person’s soul is cleansed of sins in preparation for the afterlife.
Which he did at the end of mass in his house, in the presence of the Memores Domini, four lay women who were nuns, who lived with him.
The body of the German Pope, whose name is Joseph Ratzinger, will remain in the monastery until Monday morning.
It will then be taken into state at St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful can pay their respects for three days.
In 2005, the body of John Paul II, the last pope to die, was also laid in state before a funeral mass in St Peter’s Square presided over by Ratzinger, when he was a senior cardinal.
About one million people attended, along with heads of state from around the world.
‘Fisherman’s Ring’
The Vatican said an official delegation from Italy and a former German pope would attend the funeral.
After that, “the coffin of the Supreme Pontiff Emeritus will be taken to St. Peter’s Basilica, and then to the Vatican Grottoes for burial”, the Vatican said.
In 2020, media reports said Benedict chose to be buried in the former tomb of John Paul II, in St Peter’s cemetery.
The body of the beloved Polish pope was moved to the top of the basilica when he was beatified in 2011. He was confirmed as a saint in 2014.
Usually, when a Pope dies, the “Fisherman’s Ring” – a special seal ring for each new pope that used to be used to seal documents – is also destroyed.
When Benedict left the office, the face of the ring was engraved with an “X” so that it could not be used.
NOW READ: Pope asks for prayers for seriously ill ex-pope Benedict