Heads of state and royalty, clergy from around the world and thousands of regular people flocked to the Vatican on Thursday.
Pope Francis has praised Benedict’s courage to step aside, saying it “opened the door” to other popes doing the same. Francis, for his part, recently said he has already left written instructions outlining the conditions in which he too would resign.
Matteo Colonna, a 20-year-old seminarian from Teramo, Italy, said he attended in part because of the historic nature of the funeral — but it also had personal resonance for him.“The first spark of my vocation started under the pontificate of Benedict, but then it became even stronger under Pope Francis,” Colonna said, while sitting in prayer in St. Peter’s Square ahead of the funeral.
The document, known as a “rogito” or deed, also cited his theological and papal legacy, including his outreach to Anglicans and Jews and his efforts to combat clergy sexual abuse “continually calling the church to conversion, prayer, penance and purification.”used for dead popes but with some modifications given Benedict was not a reigning pontiff when he died.
“So today I came here to pray on his tomb, on his body and to say ‘thank you’ for my future priesthood, for my ministry,” he said.Benedict never intended his retirement to last as long as it did — at nearly 10 years it was longer than his eight-year pontificate. And the unprecedented situation of a retired pope living alongside a reigning oneto guide future popes emeritus to prevent any confusion about who is really in charge.
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