Rome/Marktl am Inn/Cologne (dpa) – Benedict lay in red and gold papal robes in the chapel of the abbey of Mater Ecclesiae, his domicile until his death.
Behind him on the wall is Jesus on the cross, next to a decorated Christmas tree, on the other side is a manger. She held a rosary in her folded hands. His face was pale and he wore a miter, the traditional headgear of bishops. The Vatican has two photographs of Benedict XVI’s body. published on New Year’s Day. This is a record that exudes serenity and peace.
Not a cloud could be seen in the sky over the Vatican. In St. Peter’s Square, tourists and pilgrims were running, lining up to St. Peter’s Basilica and taking selfies. One cannot imagine a brighter New Year’s Day in Rome.
Benedict died at the age of 95
The fact that the pope emeritus died on Saturday morning at the age of 95 apparently went unnoticed by many visitors to St. Peter’s Square the next day. “Are you kidding?” asked a young tourist from India, pulling out his cell phone to search the internet for information. “I would have expected a black flag. You can’t even see anything on the big screen,” said his French counterpart, pointing to the huge billboard on the colonnade.
During the New Year’s Mass on the World Day of Peace, Pope Francis in office addressed Benedict with a sentence and asked the Blessed Virgin Mary to accompany him on his journey to God. Also in his Sunday speech after the midday prayer he invited the people to pray for the deceased.
There was no sign of mourning for the Bavarian native in St. Peter’s Square – an observation shared by other visitors. Only the construction work on the stage for the TV crew in front of the square gives off the impression that preparations for a major event are underway. On Monday, the faithful in St. Peter’s Basilica will have to say goodbye to Benedict XVI. can pick up when he’s put there. On Thursday, January 5, a large funeral service is planned in St. Peter’s Square and a subsequent burial in the basilica’s grotto – it’s unclear how many people will turn out.
Since stepping down in 2013, Benedict has become quieter
Benedict’s Requiem cannot be compared to the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005. At that time, millions of the faithful made pilgrimages to the Eternal City. Things have calmed down around Benedict since his resignation in 2013. But the Germans touched a lot of people, too. Just hours after his death on New Year’s Eve, friends and family came to the convent in the Vatican Gardens, sat in a semi-circle around the deceased and prayed. “He’s asleep, as they say,” one person present in the German Press Office said by telephone. The words sounded relieved.
While preparations were being made in Rome for Benedict’s transfer to St. Peter’s Basilica, white roses on black velvet stood in a room at the Marktl am Inn in Upper Bavaria. A candle gives light. Joseph Ratzinger was born in this room in 1927. Now that there is a funeral, the birth home is opening its doors unscheduled. “Dear Holy Father, in grateful memory of a private conversation with you, we have come here to mourn,” the visitors wrote in a condolence book. Some have come from afar. One 61-year-old Austrian said it was more important than “firing any rocket”.
After the news of his death at Allgäu, Kurt and Annemarie Spennesberger went to the Marktl to honor him. “I see him for who he is, as a person. Nobody is without flaws,” said Kurt Spennesberger in response to criticism of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, at least in relation to his role in handling abuse scandals. The accusations against Benedict for handling abuse cases during his time as Bishop Agung Munich and Freising have recently cast a shadow over his work, and in some places, among other things, the revocation of honorary citizenship has even been discussed.
For Francis, Benedict was “someone so noble, so gentle”. He was grateful that God gave the man from Germany to the Church. And he thanked Benedict “for all the good he has done and especially for his witness of faith and prayer, especially in recent years when he has lived in exile,” the Pope said on New Year’s Eve. “Christian unity and interfaith dialogue, the coexistence of religions and peoples is very important to him,” said Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Prayers for the dead in the Cologne Cathedral
Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki gathers with the cathedral chapter to pray for the dead in Cologne Cathedral. Cathedral rector Guido Assmann recalls Benedict’s visit to World Youth Day 2005, shortly after his election to the pope. “It is easy to observe how the modest Pope increasingly turned to young people and felt comfortable in their midst in Cologne.” The Cologne experience is said to have inspired Benedict. That’s what his private secretary, Georg Gänswein, always says.
In his old age in Rome, Benedict has long been ready to return to the Creator. Eventually he grew weaker and weaker, and the Anointing of the Sick was given to him on Wednesdays. Someone close to him said: “He is a Bavarian gentleman.”
