Table of Contents
Introduction
The funeral mass for former Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was held in Saint Peter’s Square on Wednesday. The event was attended by hundreds of thousands of people who lined the streets around Vatican City. The funeral mass was held in the 4th-century Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, which is located next to Saint Peter’s Basilica. Pope Francis presided over the funeral mass which was attended by hundreds of cardinals, bishops, priests and religious leaders including Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops led the opening prayer at this ceremony
Pope Benedict XVI’s funeral mass held in Saint Peter’s Square
- Who attended the funeral mass?
- What was the mass like?
- Who presided over it, and who was in attendance at this ceremony of mourning for one of their own?
There was a huge turnout of over a million people who lined the streets around Vatican City.
The road that leads to Saint Peter’s Square was lined with people from all over the world, who came to pay their respects to Pope Francis. There were over a million people who lined the streets around Vatican City for this funeral mass for former Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
The funeral mass was held in the 4th-century Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, which is located next to Saint Peter’s Basilica.
The funeral mass was held in the 4th-century Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, which is located next to Saint Peter’s Basilica.
This former basilica was built in honor of Saint Paul by Emperor Constantine I between 324-328 CE and has been since known by its current name; it is the third largest church in Rome after St Peter’s Basilica and St Mary Major Basilica (a church dedicated to Mary Magdalene).
Pope Francis presided over the funeral mass which was attended by hundreds of cardinals, bishops, priests, and religious leaders.
Pope Francis presided over the funeral mass which was attended by hundreds of cardinals, bishops, priests, and religious leaders.
The ceremony took place in the 4th-century Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, which is located next to Saint Peter’s Basilica.
It was held on Tuesday at 9:00 am local time (3 pm GMT), but it would have been earlier if not for Pope Benedict’s age – he died on Saturday at 8:30 pm local time (1 am GMT).
Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops led the opening prayer at the mass.
Cardinal Marc Ouellet is the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, which oversees matters related to priests, bishops, and episcopacy. He also serves as president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts and a member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.
He was born in Quebec City on May 14, 1948; he was ordained a priest by Archbishop Jean-Louis Léger on June 29th, 1969 after studying at Université Laval (Quebec City) where he obtained his Licence en droit canonique in 1971 before going on to study at Sant’Anselmo alla Segnatura, Rome from 1973-75 where he obtained his Doctorat d’état cum laude iuris Civilis et Canonico-Civilis cum honore pro gradu summa cumulata honoris ac praemiorum honorumque insigne scientiae auctoritasque magistrorum et doctores ecclesiastici doctoratus honorabilium dirigendus studioque studiose examen dignius egritudine.
Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Rome for a funeral ceremony for the former pope
Tens of thousands of people are gathering in Rome for a funeral ceremony for the former pope, who died on April 5. The service will be held at Saint Peter’s Square and attended by hundreds of cardinals and bishops, as well as heads of state from around the world.
The final tribute to Benedict XVI began at sunrise on Saturday morning, when white smoke billowed out from under his coffin as it was lowered into its tomb inside St. Peter’s Basilica. The crowd sang “Hymn to Joy,” which was written by Johann Sebastian Bach but widely believed to have been inspired by a poem written by former Pope Pius VI (1775-1799).
The funeral for former Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was held in Saint Peter’s Square.
The funeral for former Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was held in Saint Peter’s Square. The 4th-century Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, which is located next to Saint Peter’s Basilica, was the location for this service.
Pope Francis presided over this Mass as usual but did not speak or give any homily during its duration—a rarity for him given that he usually has many comments on his mind when presiding over these events (which can be considered quite lengthy).
Cardinal Angelo Becciu is the Vatican’s top official.
Cardinal Angelo Becciu is the Vatican’s top official. He is also the first to greet Pope Francis after his election and has been a key figure in the Catholic Church for decades.
He was born on March 27, 1948, in Caserta near Naples and studied at Rome’s Catholic University (then known as La Sapienza). After ordination, he worked as a parish priest before being named Archbishop of Benevento by Pope John Paul II in 1992. In 2003 he became Secretary of State when Cardinal Bertone took over as Secretary General but remained in both posts until 2012 when he was appointed Prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes by Benedict XVI – making him effectively head-of-state within religious matters while still technically reporting directly to him as canon law requires
The funeral mass of former Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI took place in Saint Peter’s Square
The funeral mass of former Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI took place in Saint Peter’s Square, presided over by Pope Francis.
The ceremony was attended by many dignitaries including heads of state from around the world.
Pope Francis presided over the funeral mass for former Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
Pope Francis presided over the funeral mass for former Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. The service was held in Saint Peter’s Square and broadcast live on Vatican Television to 133 countries around the world.
In his homily, the Pope reflected on how this man who had been called “the first prisoner of conscience” by Rabbi Abraham Skorka had suffered many trials in his life but never gave up hope or faith.
The Oblates of St. Norbert, a religious order of priests and brothers, were also present at the service.
The Oblates of St. Norbert, a religious order of priests and brothers in the Catholic Church, was also present at the service.
The Oblates of St. Norbert was founded by Saint Norbert (c 910 – 970) who was from what is now Germany and Belgium but spent his life mainly in France where he was active as a missionary priest and bishop until his death at Caunes-Saint-Martin near Narbonne. He was canonized by Pope Gregory VII in 1074 with his feast day being celebrated on April 5th every year to this day – just like Saint Peter himself!
“The world has lost a great son,” echoed Cardinal Reinhard Marx, president emeritus of the German Bishops’ Conference.
The world has lost a great son, echoed Cardinal Reinhard Marx, president emeritus of the German Bishops’ Conference.
The retired pope was born in Germany and was the first pope from that country. The funeral mass for Benedict XVI took place on Saturday morning at St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.
Benedict XVI had one last trip around Europe before making his final stop in Rome as pope emeritus
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI had one last trip around Europe before making his final stop in Rome as pope emeritus.
Benedict XVI visited the Bavarian town of Altötting, where he was born, then traveled to Ettal Abbey in Bavaria. He also visited St. Peter’s Basilica with its vast collection of relics and religious artworks before traveling back to Vatican City to meet with Pope Francis on Friday morning (Nov 18).
