Tod Ratzinger, from Mattarella to the crowned heads: all present at the funeral
From the Belgian royal family to the presidents of Hungary and Poland, numerous political figures will therefore attend Ratzinger’s funeral. These are participations “in a personal capacity” since the only official delegations foreseen by the ceremony are the Italian and the German.
Her presence was confirmed by the mother of the King of Spain Queen Sofia, the King and Queen of Belgium Philip and Mathilde, President of Poland Andrzej Duda, President of Portugal Marcelo Nuno Duarte Rebelo de Sousa, who also decreed a national holiday In Hungarian Katalin Novak and Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder mourn his country. There will also be the Royal House of Savoy, represented by Clotilde and Vittoria.
Numerous religious leaders will also pay homage to the Pope Emeritus. Among them, Metropolitan of the Russian Church Antony of Volokolamsk and a delegation from the Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople confirmed their presence. At the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. A delegation from Rome’s Jewish community will also be present at the Vatican.
For Muslims, the President of UCOI Yassine Lafram and the Vice President of Coreis Yahya Pallavicini. There was a strong presence of clergymen who had traveled from Benedict’s country. The German Church will welcome at least ten bishops among the concelebrants of the funeral service, including the President of the Bishops’ Conference Monsignor Georg Baetzing, the Cardinal Archbishop of Munich Reinhard Marx and the Cardinal of the Archdiocese of Cologne Rainer Maria Woelki. Representatives of Catholic universities will also be present, such as the Rector of the Cattolica Franco Anelli.
The funeral: here is the program
The burial is preceded by the ceremony of transporting the coffin from the Basilica to the churchyard in St. Peter’s Square at 8.45am. The Rosary will be prayed and at 9:30 a.m. Mass will be presided over by Pope Francis. Then the rite of Ultima Commendatio and Valedictio. The final act will be the transport of the coffin through the Basilica to the Vatican Grottoes for burial.
Access to St. Peter’s Square – A metal detector control is required for access to St. Peter’s Square, defined as maximum security. Instead, pre-filtration is arranged in the surrounding areas. The no-fly zone is extended beyond the field. The presence of helicopters, snipers, special departments including anti-terrorist units, fire brigade, emergency number 118 and local police is arranged. Over a thousand agents will be employed. In addition, the sale and transport of glass containers in the area is prohibited until 2 p.m.