The catacombs of St. Peter’s Basilica were opened to the public on the morning of 8 January. There are the tombs of the popes, and Joseph Ratzinger has just been buried there. Pilgrims have lined up since morning, preparing to pray and pay homage at the pope’s tomb.
(Vatican News Network) On the morning of January 8, in St. Peter’s Basilica, the faithful had already formed a long queue, ready to visit the tomb of Benedict XVI when the catacombs of the Basilica opened at 9. Among these crowds were men and women, families with children, nuns and priests, many of whom paid homage to Pope Ratzinger who stopped in the Basilica from 2 to 4 January. Now they are back here, lined up next to the papal altar and going down to the crypt, where the remains of previous popes rest.
Joseph Ratzinger was buried in what was originally the tomb of John Paul II. Immediately after his beatification, in 2011 Pope Wojtyla’s body was transferred to the Chapel of San Bastiano, next to Michelangelo’s maternal statue. The burial of Benedict XVI took place after the funeral mass presided over by Pope Francis. Inside the cypress coffin were placed a notarial deed briefly describing the life and ministry of Pope Ratzinger, medals and coins minted during his ministry, and his wool shoulder strap. The cypress coffin is placed inside the zinc coffin, and the outermost layer is the oak coffin.
Link URL:www.vaticannews.cn
