The body of the Pope emeritus was transferred from the Monastery of the Mother of the Church in Vatican City to St. Peter’s Basilica on the morning of 2 January. The President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella was the first to come to pay homage to Pope Benedict. Pope Ratzinger will later be buried in the Vatican Catacombs, the former resting place of Pope John Paul II.
(Vatican News Network)At 8:50 on 2 January, St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican had not yet been opened to the public: in the semi-darkness, the first to enter the Basilica was the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella. He sat down right in front of the Pope’s altar, paid homage to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and prayed for a moment. Pope Ratzinger will then be buried in the Vatican Catacombs, the former resting place of Pope Wojtyla, Vatican press director Matteo Bruni said later in the day.
Early that morning, the body of the Pope Emeritus was transferred from the Monastery of the Mother of the Church in the Vatican gardens to St. Peter’s Basilica. From 19.15 to 19.40 Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, Archbishop of the Basilica, presided over the ceremony for the Pope Emeritus, and then received the guests who had come to the Basilica to express their condolences. Cardinal Michael Harvey, rector of the Basilica of St. Paul outside the city, and several nuns recited the rosary in low voices before Pope Benedict.
Before dawn there was already a long line of people in St. Peter’s Square. People wore warm coats, scarves and hats to keep out the cold. The number of people who came to pay their respects on the first day increased from the initial estimate of 40,000 to 65,000. Earlier, Bruno Frattasi, Governor of Rome, announced on Dec. 31 that when Pope Francis holds Pope Ratzinger’s funeral on Jan. 5, between 50,000 and 60,000 people are expected to be present to attend the ceremony.
At this time, people viewing the remains of Pope Benedict XVI walked directly to the Pope’s altar after entering the Holy Crown and black leather shoes, rosary in hand, no wool shoulder pads or shepherd’s cross. Some knelt down and crossed themselves, some tried to take pictures with their cellphones, some just looked up. Many people stopped in the chapels on the sides of the basilica to recite the “Rosary”, and some people attended the morning mass at the Holy Altar.
In this moment of grief, the guests came forward to express their condolences to Archbishop George Gänswein, Pope Ratzinger’s private secretary. Italian cabinet officials, senators, diplomats from various countries, but also many bishops and students of Pope Ratzinger shook Archbishop Ganzwei’s hand one by one. Many women told Archbishop Gansweier that they had prayed for the health of the Pope Emeritus and had asked for his blessing.
Carmela, a 76-year-old woman, is one of them: she fell two years ago and was operated on, and now has limited mobility. St. Peter’s Basilica paid homage to Pope Ratzinger, kneeling laboriously both times. The old woman said this is the first time she has bent her knees since her fall, and this is due respect to Pope Benedict.
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