Pope Benedict: Vatican releases photos of body as tributes flow following pontiff’s death at 95
Tens of thousands of Catholics have begun paying their respects to former pope Benedict XVI at St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, at the lying-in-state before his funeral. Warning: Graphic
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Tens of thousands of people paid their respects on Monday to former pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, at the start of three days of lying-in-state at St Peter’s Basilica before his funeral.
They began queueing before dawn to view the German theologian’s body, which was transferred early Monday from the monastery in the Vatican grounds where he died Saturday aged 95.
“I arrived at 6:00 am, it seemed normal to come and pay homage to him after all he did for the church,” said an Italian nun, sister Anna-Maria, near the front of the queue that snaked around the edge of the vast St Peter’s Square.
Benedict led the Catholic Church for eight years before becoming the first pope in six centuries to step down in 2013, citing his declining health.
His successor Pope Francis will lead the funeral on Thursday in St Peter’s Square before his remains are placed in the tombs beneath the basilica.
He will be buried in the tomb which held pope John Paul II’s remains until 2011, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said Monday.
Pope Francis hailed the “beloved” Benedict XVI in New Year’s Day services on Sunday as the Vatican released the first pictures of the former pontiff following his death at the age of 95.
Official photos showed the German theologian’s body on a catafalque, or raised box, in the chapel of the monastery in the Vatican grounds where he spent the last decade of his life.
He is not in a casket but laying on top of pillows, dressed in red vestments with a gold-edged mitre on his head, his clasped hands holding a rosary, while behind him on the wall is a crucifix. On either side of the catafalque is a Christmas tree, candles and a nativity scene.
But he is not wearing the pallium, a vestment reserved for sitting popes because Benedict was a conservative intellectual who in 2013 became the first pontiff in six centuries to resign, whereas other popes died while in service.
His body will be moved on Monday morning, local time, to St Peter’s Basilica, where for three days the public will be able to pay their respects before a funeral on Thursday overseen by Pope Francis.
Francis, 86, paid tribute to his predecessor at a New Year’s Eve service on Saturday and again on Sunday.
“Today we entrust the beloved pope emeritus Benedict XVI to the most holy mother (the Virgin Mary), to accompany him in his passage from this world to God,” he said at a mass for peace at St Peter’s Basilica.
Later, delivering his Sunday Angelus prayer in front of thousands gathered in St Peter’s Square, the pope bowed his head in a moment of silence in memory of the late pontiff.
“Let us all join together, with one heart and one soul, in thanking God for the gift of this faithful servant of the Gospel and of the Church,” he said.
Benedict’s funeral will be “solemn but simple”, the Vatican has said, after which he will be buried in the papal tombs under St Peter’s Basilica.
WORLD MOURNS DEATH OF ‘GOD’S ROTTWEILER’
World leaders have paid tribute to “God’s rottweiler” Pope Benedict XVI after his death aged 95, lauding him as “one of the greatest theologians of our time” and a “formative figure” of the Catholic Church.
The ex-pontiff who became first to resign in 600 years when he stood down in 2013 died in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican, a spokesman for the Holy See said. He was 95.
A statement from Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said: “With pain I inform that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died today at 9.34am (6.34pm AEDT) in the Mater Ecclesia Monastery in the Vatican. Further information will be released as soon as possible.”
Benedict XVI celebrated Mass from his bed yesterday, and “participated in the celebration of Holy Mass in his room yesterday afternoon,” Mr Bruni said.
The Vatican press office has said that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s body will lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican for the faithful to pay their respects. No further details have been announced.
“As of Monday morning, 2 January 2023, the body of the Pope Emeritus [Benedict XVI] will be in Saint Peter’s Basilica so the faithful can bid farewell,” Mr Bruni said.
Pope Francis paid homage to his “noble” and “kind” predecessor.
“With emotion we remember a person so noble, so kind,” Francis said in a moving tribute to his predecessor at a New Year’s Eve service in St Peter’s Basilica.
He thanked the conservative German theologian, born Joseph Ratzinger, “for all the good he has done”, and underlined “his sacrifices offered for the good of the church”.
An uncompromising theological conservative, Benedict earned the epithet “God’s rottweiler” early in his career.
WORLD LEADERS PAY TRIBUTE
Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, said he was “saddened to hear of the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, this evening. May he rest in eternal peace”.
The Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Most Reverend, Anthony Fisher, called Pope Benedict “a man of towering intellect and deep piety”.
“For more than 70 years, as priest-theologian, bishop-pastor, cardinal-prefect, teacher-pope and finally pope-emeritus, Joseph Ratzinger selflessly served Christ and his Church,” Rev. Fisher said.
Saddened to hear of the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, this evening. May he rest in eternal peace. pic.twitter.com/wnUwGfK99o
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) December 31, 2022
He recalled the pontiff’s trip to Australia in 2008 “where he is remembered as the World Youth Day Pope”.
“In 2008 he gathered with hundreds of thousands of young pilgrims in our Harbour City for catechesis and worship. He was received by the young people as a loving spiritual grandfather and 14 years later we are still reaping the fruits of that visit,” Rev. Fisher said.
“In addition to his beautiful preaching at that time, I have many happy memories of private moments with Pope Benedict then and later as he reminisced about his time with us.
Rev. Fisher also said that Pope Benedict’s connection to Australia was strengthened in 2010 “when he canonised St Mary of the Cross Mackillop as Australia’s first recognised saint”.
US President, Joe Biden, said: “Jill and I join Pope Francis and all the Catholic faithful around the world in mourning the loss of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.”
Mr Biden paid tribute to Benedict’s “humility and courage”.
“We deeply mourn the loss of Pope Benedict and will continue to honour his legacy,” Mr Biden said.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “I am saddened to learn of the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
“He was a great theologian whose UK visit in 2010 was a historic moment for both Catholics and non-Catholics throughout our country.
“My thoughts are with Catholic people in the UK and around the world today.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said: “My thoughts go out to Catholics in France and around the world, bereaved by the departure of His Holiness Benedict XVI, who worked with soul and intelligence for a more fraternal world.”
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Catholics around the world have lost “an important spiritual and intellectual leader.”“With the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the Roman Catholic Church and all Catholics worldwide lose an important spiritual and intellectual leader. We remember him with respect,” Mr Rutte tweeted.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the former Pope will be remembered for his “rich service to society.”
“Saddened by the passing away of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who devoted his entire life to the Church and the teachings of Lord Christ. He will be remembered for his rich service to society. My thoughts are with the millions around the world who grieve his passing,” Mr Modi said in a tweet.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is leading Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, called the former pope “a staunch defender of traditional Christian values.” “I had the opportunity to communicate with this outstanding person, and I will forever keep the brightest memories of him. I would like to convey to you the words of sincere sympathy in this mournful hour,” he added.
“I am deeply saddened to learn of the death of Pope Benedict. He will be remembered as one of the great theologians of the 20th century,” said Cardinal and Archbishop of London Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols.
“I remember with particular affection the remarkable Papal Visit to these lands in 2010,”
“I was saddened to learn of the death of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. During the pontificate of John Paul II, he visited Poland many times, to which he returned during his pilgrimage in 2006. He admired and respected the faith of Poles,” said Polish Foreign Affairs Minister Zbigniew Rau.
‘GATHER IN PRAYER’ FOR BENEDICT
The Diocese of Rome has encouraged “parish communities, chaplaincies, religious men and women, all the faithful of the diocese and all the men and women of good will who live in Rome” to gather in prayer for Benedict XVI.
The Vatican has urged the faithful to remember “with gratitude the road travelled together with our bishop emeritus” and to accompany him now “in this time of passing.”
Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, said in a media blog that Pope Benedict would be “remembered fondly in Australia as the Pontiff who led young people from around the globe in prayer at World Youth Day in Sydney in 2008.”
“From his time as an expert adviser – or peritus – at the Second Vatican Council onwards, there was no question that Joseph Ratzinger was a major figure within the Church around the world,” Archbishop Costelloe wrote.
“His papacy will be remembered as one of rich teaching, including his encyclicals on love, hope and truth, as well as his book series Jesus of Nazareth, and for important reforms in areas like liturgy and in the handling of child sexual abuse.”
FIRST POPE TO STEP DOWN IN 600 YEARS
Pope Benedict became the first pope in some 600 years to resign in 2013. He had been living in the Vatican since his retirement.
His health had been deteriorating and last night he was given the last rites and was well enough to participate in a Mass in his room.
On Wednesday, Pope Francis revealed that his predecessor was “very ill” and went to see him in his home in the Vatican Gardens.
At the time of his resignation, Benedict said he was aware of the “seriousness of this act.” He cited deterioration of his “mind and body.”
But his papacy had been dogged by a series of crises ranging from the widespread sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests to the Church’s attitudes to Islam and homosexuality.
Some close to Benedict said he feared becoming an incapacitated leader like John Paul II, with whom he worked closely for years.
Rumours lingered about other contributing factors, including the possibility of blackmail or pressure relating to scandals within the Vatican bureaucracy.
In 2010, a widening child sexual abuse inquiry in Europe landed at the doorstep of Benedict as a senior church official acknowledged that a German archdiocese made “serious mistakes” in handling an abuse case while Benedict served as its archbishop.
The New York Times reported that a priest accused of molesting boys was given therapy in 1980 and later allowed to resume pastoral duties, before committing further abuses and being prosecuted.
Benedict, who at the time headed the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, approved the priest’s transfer for therapy.
Benedict became embroiled in another scandal in the German church after it emerged that his brother, Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, directed a choir connected to a boarding school where two former students have come forward with abuse claims.
In a pastoral letter, Benedict rebuked the bishops of the Irish church for a failure of leadership over allegations of sexual and physical abuse by priests.
Once known as “God’s rottweiler,” the German-born Benedict was not embraced by Catholics worldwide during his eight-year pontificate.
But he won admiration, The Washington Post reported in September 2018, among those who respected the depth of his academic work and his conviction that church teachings shouldn’t bend with the times.
His conservatism reappeared in 2019, when he co-authored a book insisting on the “foundational” need for a celibate priesthood – an issue on which his successor has shown signs of more flexibility.
The theological and personality differences between Benedict and Francis were the subject of the film The Two Popes in 2019, in which Anthony Hopkins played Benedict and Jonathan Pryce played Francis.
In a rare public statement issued in February 2018, Benedict, who chose not to revert to his given name, Joseph Ratzinger, said that he was becoming increasingly frail but was at peace with the prospect of death.
The then 90-year-old wrote a letter to Corriere della Sera, one of Italy’s leading daily newspapers, in response to queries from readers as to his health and state of mind.
The letter, marked “urgent, by hand” was delivered to the newspaper’s offices in Rome from Benedict’s home – “Mater Ecclesiae monastery, V-120, Vatican City.”
He was deeply moved that “so many readers want to know how I am spending this last period of my life,” he wrote in the letter.
“I can only say that with the slow waning of my physical forces, I’m on a pilgrimage towards home.
“It is a great gift for me to be surrounded, on this last stretch of this sometimes tiring road, by a degree of love and goodwill that I could never have imagined.”
NAZIS PROPELLED A LIFE OF ‘RIGHTEOUSNESS’
Born Joseph Ratzinger on April 16, 1927, in Marktlam Inn, Bavaria, Germany, the future pope was the youngest of three children.
He was briefly a member of the Hitler Youth in his early teens, after membership became mandatory in 1941. His policeman father was a determined anti-Nazi, Ratzinger wrote.
As a defence against the Nazi regime, Ratzinger threw himself into the Roman Catholic Church, “a citadel of truth and righteousness against the realm of atheism and deceit,” he wrote.
He deserted the German Army in April 1945 and was captured by American soldiers who held him as a prisoner of war for several months.
At the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), Ratzinger served as chief theological expert to Cardinal Joseph Frings of Cologne. He was viewed as a reformer during this time.
In 1972, Ratzinger helped found the theological journal Communio, which became one of the most important journals of Catholic thought.
In March 1977, he was named archbishop of Munich and Freising and, three months later, was named a cardinal by Pope Paul VI.
In 1998, he became vice dean of the College of Cardinals and was elected dean in 2002.
Ratzinger was elevated to the papacy on April 19, 2005, upon the death of Pope John Paul II, and celebrated his papal inauguration mass five days later.
After his shock resignation, he lived a quiet life in a Vatican monastery close to where his successor, Pope Francis lives.
- with AFP
Originally published as Pope Benedict: Vatican releases photos of body as tributes flow following pontiff’s death at 95
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