The body of Benedict XVI , who died on December 31 at the age of 95, is currently on display in the chapel of the Mater Ecclesiae monastery .
From the photos released by the Vatican press office it can be seen that the Pope Emeritus is wearing red liturgical vestments , with a miter on his head. In the hands instead a rosary . Instead of sandals, which he had chosen as his "favorite footwear" in recent years, he wears shoes . Inside the chapel, the body is placed in front of the altar, between the crib and the Christmas tree.
The body will be on public display from Monday morning, in St. Peter's Basilica, for the greeting of the faithful . After three days, the funeral will be celebrated on Thursday 5 January , at 9.30 am , in St. Peter's Square , presided over by Pope Francis . By Ratzinger's will, they will have to take place in the name of simplicity , therefore they will be solemn but sober .
However, they remain unique also from a procedural point of view , since the funeral has never been held for a Pope Emeritus, who has remained to live in the Vatican. Joseph Ratzinger will be buried in the Vatican grottoes , in the niche where for 38 years (from June 1963 to January 2001) Saint John XXIII was buried, and then Saint John Paul II from 2005 to 2011. Their bodies were transferred inside the Basilica in the side aisle chapels .
(Unioneonline/vf)
