Solemn funeral in St. Peter's Square for Pope Emeritus Joseph Ratzinger; the reigning Pope Francis presided over the funeral rite. After the mass officiated in the presence of institutional authorities, heads of state and crowned heads, the body of Pope ratzinger she was buried in the Vatican grottoes. The celebration of the funeral of Benedict XVI it was preceded by the recitation of the Rosary; on the coffin placed in the churchyard an open Gospel.
The funeral of Pope Ratzinger
"Blessed, faithful friend of the Bridegroom, may your joy be perfect in hearing his voice definitively and forever". So Pope Francis in pronouncing the homily of the funeral. Below is an excerpt from the homiletic report. “Let us 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 shed and witnessed during his life. Loving means giving the sheep true good, the nourishment of God's truth, of God's word, the nourishment of his presence.
The dedication is supported by the consolation of the Spirit, who always precedes him in the mission: in the passionate search to communicate the beauty and joy of the Gospel". He remarked Bergoglio quoting the apostolic exhortation "Gaudete et exultate”. “In the fruitful testimony of those who, like Mary – she added – remain in many ways at the foot of the cross. In that painful but robust peace that neither attacks nor enslaves. And in the stubborn but patient hope that the Lord will fulfill his promise, as he promised to our fathers and to his seed forever.
Pope Benedict Doctor of the Church
A long and moving applause welcomed the arrival of Benedict XVI's coffin carried by chairs in the center of the square crowded by about 50 people, according to estimates by the Vatican Gendarmerie. Before Benedict XVI's coffin left the churchyard of St. Peter's, Francis stood up and placed his hand on the coffin. After the last amen pronounced by the faithful, the crowd present in the square chanted in chorus the invocation "Holy now!". In the three days that the body was displayed in the Vatican Basilica, almost two hundred thousand faithful wanted to pay homage to the philosopher and theologian pope who, for all, is already a doctor of the Church.
(Source of photos and texts / Ansa)
