The late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI lies in state in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. For the next three days, people can walk past the body of the abdicated pope to say goodbye and pay his last respects.
Benedictus, who was born in Germany as Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, passed away on Saturday at the age of 95. Early in the morning, the first people gathered on St. Peter’s Square to line up in front of the church. The Vatican on Sunday showed photos of Benedict’s body, dressed in red papal mourning robes and wearing a gold-trimmed mitre on his head.
Benedict resigned as pope in 2013. Although he has received a lot of criticism, he also had many followers. Conservative Catholics in particular saw him as a protector of the traditional values of the Church. The last funeral of a pope, that of John Paul II in 2005, attracted about 1 million people. They then came to Vatican City to say goodbye.
The funeral of the pope emeritus will take place on Thursday at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. The current Pope Francis will lead the service, which begins at 9:30 a.m. Afterwards Benedict is buried in a crypt of the basilica.
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