“Benedict, faithful friend of the Bridegroom, may your joy be perfect when you hear his voice finally and forever– with these words, Pope Francis concluded the funeral mass of Benedict XVI in the Vatican. For the first time in history, a sitting pope presided over the funeral of his retired predecessor.

The coffin with the body of the elder pope was brought to St. Peter at 9. Already from the north, this area was declared a “red security zone”. The square is patrolled by thousands of police and soldiers, and entry is only possible after prior inspection at the gates. This state will last up to 14.

As soon as the gates open, some faithful rush to take the best seats in the square. Unnecessarily, because on the way there was still a preliminary check and more gates. Mass, presided over by François, began at 9:30 a.m. Tens of thousands of people came to the Vatican, the place was almost full.

Read also: Benedict XVI is dead. “His abdication disenchanted the papacy”

Liturgy without reference to the death of the pope

Pope Francis spoke of the “wisdom, gentleness and dedication” of his predecessor. “As an ecclesial community, we want to follow in his footsteps and entrust our brother to the hands of the Father: may these hands of mercy find his lamp lit with the oil of the Gospel which he spread and witnessed during his life.

He recalled the words of Saint Gregory the Great to a friend in the “Rule of the Shepherd”: “I ask you to support me in the midst of the dangers of this life with the plank of your prayer, so that the hand of your merit may lift me up, for my own weight is sinking me.” Then he explained: “It is the shepherd’s awareness that he cannot bear alone what he could never bear alone, and that is why he knows how to entrust to prayer and take care of the people entrusted to him.

In the liturgy, there were no direct references and prayers referring to the death of the pope, because Joseph Ratzinger had not held this office since 2013.

Mass ended shortly before noon. 11. The pope sprinkled the coffin with holy water, incensed it with incense and said the last prayer. Then the coffin with the body of Benedict XVI was moved along the main nave of St. Peter’s Church. Peter at the Vatican Caves, where, according to the wishes of the deceased, he will rest in the former tomb of John XXIII and John Paul II.

Read also: Funeral of Benedict XVI. What do we say in Rome?

Only two official delegations

There were only two official delegations to the Pope Dean’s funeral: the German with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the Italian led by Sergio Mattarelli. Other politicians were also present. Andrzej Duda, Mateusz Morawiecki and Viktor Orbán. Nearly 4,000 people concelebrated the mass. priests, many cardinals, archbishops and bishops, including a delegation of around ten people from the Polish episcopate.

In St. Patrick’s Square St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, the funeral mass of Benedict XVI is underway.

The Prime Minister attends the ceremony @MorawieckiM. pic.twitter.com/izQmJsHMJq

— Chancellery of the Prime Minister (@PremierRP) January 5, 2023

Joseph Ratzinger died on December 31 at 9:34 a.m. He was 95 years old. He became pope in 2005, after the death of John Paul II. While still a cardinal, Ratzinger presided over Wojtyła’s funeral mass in Saint Petersburg. Peter’s, for which several million people came to Rome. Less than two weeks later, on the second day of the conclave, he was elected the next pope.

In 2013, he resigned, which came as a huge surprise to world public opinion. Before Benedict XVI, Celestine V resigned from the ministry. His pontificate ended in 1294.