Pope Benedict XVI visits the tomb of the late Pope John Paul II in the grotto beneath St. Peter’s Basilica after a meeting with young Catholics, in preparation of the XXI World Youth Day at the Vatican April 6, 2006. / Photo by ARTURO MARI/AFP via Getty Images
Rome Newsroom, Jan 2, 2023 / 06:35 am (CNA).
Benedict XVI will be interred in the Vatican crypt in the same spot where Pope John Paul II was buried before his beatification.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni confirmed the site of Benedict’s tomb to journalists on Jan. 2, the first day the pope emeritus’ body was laid in state in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Benedict’s death at age 95 was announced in Rome on Dec. 31.
Benedict XVI’s coffin will be carried to the crypt under the central part of St. Peter’s Basilica for interment after his funeral Mass on Jan. 5.
St. John Paul II’s tomb was in the crypt from the date of his funeral April 8, 2005, until April 29, 2011, when his casket was moved to the upper part of St. Peter’s Basilica a few days before his beatification ceremony.
St. John XXIII was also previously buried in the same place, which is fewer than 100 feet from the tomb of St. Peter the Apostle, the Catholic Church’s first pope.
The area is on the north side of the central part of the Vatican crypt. On the wall above the spot, there is an image of the Virgin Mary and the child Jesus flanked by angels.
Queen Christina of Sweden, who died on April 19, 1689, is buried in a sarcophagus immediately to the right of the spot.
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The March for the Martyrs in Washington, D.C., Sept. 25, 2021. / Christine Rousselle/CNA
Washington D.C., Sep 26, 2021 / 13:29 pm (CNA).
The second annual March for the Martyrs took place Saturday in Washington, D.C., featuring testimony from ad… […]
Pope Francis presides at the end of year Vespers and Te Deum prayer at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome on Dec. 31, 2022. / Photo by FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images
Rome Newsroom, Dec 31, 2022 / 10:33 am (CNA).
Pope Francis gave thanks for the good works and sacrifices of Benedict XVI, hours after the pope emeritus’ death on Saturday at the age of 95.
“The thought goes spontaneously to the dearly beloved Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who left us this morning. With emotion we remember his person, so noble, so kind,” Pope Francis said at a prayer vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 31.
In his first public comments since the pope emeritus’ death, Francis said: “We feel in our hearts so much gratitude: gratitude to God for having given him to the Church and to the world; gratitude to him, for all the good he accomplished, and especially for his witness of faith and prayer, especially in these last years of his retired life.”
“Only God knows the value and strength of his intercession, of his sacrifices offered for the good of the Church,” he said.
Pope Francis presides at Vespers on Dec. 31, 2022, hours after the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at the age of 95. Courtney Mares / CNA
Pope Francis addressed the news of Benedict’s death during a first Vespers liturgy for the vigil of the Jan. 1 Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
Before the start of the liturgy, Catholics in attendance prayed a rosary for the repose of the soul of Benedict XVI.
Benedict’s death, at the age of 95, was announced in Rome on Dec. 31. His body will lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica from the morning of Monday, Jan. 2, 2023.
Pope Francis will preside over the pope emeritus’ funeral Mass in St. Peter’s Square at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 5, 2023. He will be buried in the Vatican crypt under St. Peter’s Basilica.
Tonight there is Eucharistic adoration and vespers inside St. Peter’s Basilica presided over by Pope Francis.
Many Catholics are here at the Vatican praying following the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. pic.twitter.com/DTxRWjZBYl
First Vespers was prayed at the Vatican in anticipation of the Jan. 1 Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. The prayer service also included the singing of the “Te Deum,” a Latin hymn of thanksgiving from the early Church.
Pope Francis, who turned 86 earlier this month, arrived at the basilica in a wheelchair before presiding over the liturgy and delivering a homily.
Benedict XVI was remembered in the vigil’s prayer intentions.
Members of the Roman Curia and the diplomatic corps accredited to the Vatican were also present inside the basilica, where an estimated 8,000 people gathered in prayer on the last day of 2022.
It is Pope Francis’ custom to visit the Nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square following first Vespers on New Year’s Eve. Last year, his visit was canceled to prevent crowds from gathering during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pope Francis visits the Nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square following vespers on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, 2022. Credit: Vatican Media
In his homily, Pope Francis reflected on God being born “of a woman,” which was made possible through Mary’s “yes” to the divine plan for Jesus’ birth.
“Let us not take the mystery of divine motherhood for granted,” he said. “Let us be amazed by the choice of God, who could have appeared in the world in a thousand ways showing his power, and instead wanted to be conceived in full freedom in Mary’s womb, wanted to be formed for nine months like any child, and finally be born of her, born as a woman.”
“Let us not pass over this quickly, let us stop to contemplate and meditate on it, for here is an essential feature of the mystery of salvation,” the pope said.
The prayer service concluded with the singing of the Christmas hymn “Adeste Fideles.”
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