The body of the former pontiff Benedict XVI. is to be buried after the funeral service in the former grave of his predecessor, John Paul II. The crypt in St. Peter's Basilica, which served as the last resting place for the Pope who died in 2005, is apparently free again.
The late Pope Benedict XVI. is buried in the former tomb of his predecessor John Paul II. This was confirmed by the spokesman for the Holy See, Matteo Bruni. His final resting place will be in the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica. The body will be taken there on Thursday. Before that, Pope Francis wants to hold a big funeral service with tens of thousands of people outside the basilica for Benedict. Benedict died on Saturday morning at the age of 95.
Pope John Paul II was buried in the crypt after his death in 2005. A few years later, during the canonization process, his remains were brought next to the Pietà Michelangelo in St. Peter's Basilica, which is why his tomb in the grottoes is free.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of believers in Rome are queuing up to pray for the late Benedict XVI. to pay their last respects. The Pope Emeritus was brought to St. Peter's Basilica in the morning and laid out in public there. He is lying on pillows in front of the main altar, his hands are clasped. After the doors of the basilica were opened shortly after 9:00 a.m., people moved forward down the aisle and past the body.
In front of the church and the security checks, people stood in long queues on St. Peter's Square. Some have been waiting since night to be admitted. In the church, many pulled out their smartphones for snapshots. Others prayed for the Papa Emeritus. The Vatican Gendarmerie estimated that around 40,000 people had come to the cathedral by 2 p.m.
Benedict's body had been brought the short way from the monastery to St. Peter's Basilica in a minibus in the morning. Then there was a small, non-public ceremony attended by his longtime private secretary, Georg Gänswein, among others.
Swiss Guards stand to the left and right of the dead Pope. Among the first mourners was Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. President Sergio Mattarella was in the basilica shortly before 9 a.m. The gates of St. Peter's Basilica should be open to visitors on Monday until 7 p.m., on Tuesday and Wednesday people can come to the church from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The big funeral service is planned for Thursday, which Francis himself wants to celebrate at 9:30 a.m.
The fact that one pope buries another is a historic event as a result of Benedict's spectacular resignation in 2013. According to official information, up to 60,000 people are expected to attend the requiem, which Benedict wanted to keep simple. The German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Markus Söder have already announced themselves. The Prime Minister from Benedict's homeland of Bavaria wants to fly to Rome with representatives from politics, church and society, as he announced.
