Pope Benedict XVI on May 13, 2010 / Mazur/www.thepapalvisit.org.uk
Rome, Italy, Jan 8, 2023 / 00:01 am (CNA).
There are currently 37 Doctors of the Church, four women and 33 men, spanning the course of Church history, from Irenaeus of Lyon in t… […]
The coffin of Pope Benedict XVI is prepared for interment in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica on Jan. 5, 2023. / Vatican Media
Rome Newsroom, Jan 7, 2023 / 11:00 am (CNA).
Benedict XVI was buried in the crypt under St. Peter’s Basilica after his funeral Mass on Jan. 5.
The late pope’s coffin was interred in the former burial place of both St. John Paul II and St. John XXIII, whose remains were moved to the upper part of the basilica at the time of their beatifications.
After being closed for several days, from 9 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 8, the Vatican crypt, which has small chapels and the tombs of popes and royals, will reopen to the public.
To visit the tomb of Benedict XVI, first enter St. Peter’s Basilica.
Proceed to the front of the basilica and the central altar and Baldachin, a Baroque bronze canopy sculpted by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
The bones of St. Peter, the Church’s first pope, are under the papal altar in the central part of the crypt, called the Confessio.
Turn left in front of the papal altar. In front of the first column on the left, below a statue of St. Andrew, are the stairs giving access to the crypt.
Benedict XVI’s tomb is on the north side of the crypt, on the other side of the Confessio from the stairs. On the marble slab covering the tomb is written: Benedictus PP. XVI.
Queen Christina of Sweden, who died on April 19, 1689, is buried in a sarcophagus immediately to the right of Benedict.
On the wall above Benedict’s tomb, there is a bas-relief sculpture of the Virgin Mary and the child Jesus flanked by angels.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in summer 2017 / EWTN/Paul Badde
Rome Newsroom, Jan 7, 2023 / 08:00 am (CNA).
Pope Benedict XVI spent the final decade of his life largely out of the public eye, living in retirement as pope emeritus in a monastery in… […]
Cardinal Joseph Zen. / Rock Li via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Rome Newsroom, Jan 7, 2023 / 03:10 am (CNA).
Cardinal Joseph Zen met privately with Pope Francis on Friday after attending Benedict XVI’s funeral.The Hong Kong authorities temporarily… […]
Mass for the Solemnity of the Epiphany in St. Peter’s Basilica on Jan. 6, 2023. / Vatican Media
Vatican City, Jan 6, 2023 / 05:45 am (CNA).
The following is the full text of Pope Francis’ homily for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord cel… […]
Pope Francis with some special visitors at the general audience, Dec. 21, 2022 / Vatican Media
Vatican City, Jan 6, 2023 / 03:00 am (CNA).
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Archbishop Georg Ganswein (left), longtime personal secretary of Pope Benedict XVI, kisses the coffin of friend and mentor at his funeral on Jan. 5, 2023, at the Vatican. / Vatican Media
Vatican City, Jan 6, 2023 / 00:01 am (CNA).
There is no d… […]
Benedict XVI’s coffin exits St. Peter’s Basilica beneath an image of Christ’s resurrection on the morning of his funeral Jan. 5, 2022 / Evandro Inetti/CNA
Vatican City, Jan 5, 2023 / 13:00 pm (CNA).
A large banner of the resurrection of Christ … […]