Funeral at St. Peter's, Vatican , for Pope Benedict XVI .
The coffin of the Pope emeritus was closed last night with the traditional rite.
The coffin is triple: it has a first lining in cypress, another in zinc and a final one in oak.
At 9.30 the rite in the churchyard of St. Peter's square , with the homily of Pope Francis , then the burial in the Vatican grottoes with a private ceremony .
THE HOMILY - "Blessed, faithful friend of the Bridegroom, may your joy be perfect in hearing his voice definitively and forever", the words of Bergoglio who asked to " entrust our brother to the hands of the Father : that these hands of mercy find his lamp lit with the oil of the Gospel, which he shed and witnessed during his life".
«We are here with the scent of gratitude and the ointment of hope to show him, once again, the love that is not lost; we want to do it with the same anointing, wisdom, delicacy and dedication that he has been able to bestow over the years", added Pope Francis. "It is the faithful People of God who, gathered together, accompany and entrust the life of those who have been their shepherd".
The funeral was concelebrated by 130 cardinals and 300 bishops , in addition to the 3,700 priests who came from all over the world.
Inside the coffin will be placed the coins and medals minted during his pontificate , the palliums and the deed , an account of his life as Pope.
Thousands of people arrived at the funeral for heads of state, crowned heads and leaders of other faiths from the first light of day.
At the end of the ceremony, the crowd greeted Benedict XVI with the cry of " Santo Subito ".
In the square, among others, the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella , Giorgia Meloni , Prime Minister, and the former Prime Minister Mario Draghi .
The images of the burial in the Vatican grottoes:
(Unioneonline/ss/vl)