A final tribute. The body of Benedict XVI, who died on Saturday at the age of 95, is on display in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. There, the faithful can pay their last respects to the deceased Pope Emeritus before his funeral scheduled for Thursday. The doors of the enormous Vatican Basilica are open to the public on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9am (local time) to 7pm and then from 6am to 6pm.
No need to book tickets, entry is free, said the Vatican, which has taken an important security precaution for the occasion. The body of Joseph Ratzinger was previously in the small private chapel of the monastery where he lived since his abdication in 2013, in the middle of the Vatican Gardens.
The first pictures of the Pope published
The Vatican on Sunday released the first photos of the body of the Pope Emeritus, lying on a catafalque, dressed in red – the color of papal mourning – and wearing a white miter adorned with a gold braid, holding a rosary in his hands . A crucifix, a Christmas tree and a nativity scene can be seen in the background.
The transfer of his body to St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest Catholic church in the world that can accommodate tens of thousands of worshipers, will take place at dawn on Monday.
An architectural masterpiece of Renaissance and Baroque styles, the basilica, completed in 1626, is also one of the holiest sites in Christianity as it houses the tomb of Saint Peter, the first bishop of Rome, whose successors are the popes. On Sunday, Pope Francis once again paid tribute to “beloved” Benedict XVI, “this faithful servant of the Gospel and the Church”.
The brilliant theologian and ardent guardian of dogma, Benedict XVI, who resigned in 2013 due to failing strength, died peacefully on Saturday morning. However, as the last pope to attend Vatican II, he defended a conservative line at the head of the Church, particularly on abortion, homosexuality and euthanasia.