Pope Francis

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Update:  Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s condition

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-12/pope-emeritus-rested-well-overnight-health-situation-stable.html
Pope Emeritus rested well overnight, health situation stable
30 December 2022, 15:20

The Director of the Holy See Press Office on Friday says Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's health condition remains stable.
By Vatican News

In a response to questions from journalists, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, on Friday confirmed that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's health condition remains stable at this time. He added that yesterday evening Benedict XVI was able to have a good rest, and earlier in the afternoon he participated in the celebration of Mass in his room.

In related news, at 5:30 pm Rome time on today, Mass will be celebrated at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, remembering in prayer Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and his health. Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, Vicar of the Diocese of Rome, will preside over the celebration.
 
https://www.ncregister.com/blog/benedict-xvi-s-health-vatican-provides-update
Benedict XVI’s Health: Vatican Provides Update
Edward Pentin  December 29, 2022

Please see below for regular updates on the health of the Pope Emeritus.

Friday Dec. 30:

At 3pm Rome time, the Vatican issued the following statement:

“Responding to reporters’ questions, Holy See Press Office director Matteo Bruni said the following:

‘Last night the Pope Emeritus was able to rest well. He also participated in the celebration of Holy Mass in his room yesterday afternoon. At present his condition is stable.’”

Italian and German media have reported that in compliance with Benedict XVI's wishes, he is not expected to be taken to hospital as all medical equipment capable of treating him is located in his residence in the Vatican Gardens. He is being treated by his personal physician, Dr. Patrizio Polisca, an expert Italian cardiologist who for a time was the doctor of Pope Francis, and a nurse.
 

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Video, with highlights, at the link...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2022-12/cardinal-de-donatis-presides-over-special-mass-forbenedict-xvi.html
Cardinal De Donatis presides over special Mass for Benedict XVI
30 December 2022, 21:12

In his homily pronounced on Friday evening in St John's Basilica in the Lateran, the Cardinal Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome expresses the prayerful “affection” and “gratitude” of the entire Church of Rome to the Pope Emeritus, whose health conditions remain stable.
By Lisa Zengarini

As cardinals, bishops, bishops’ conferences and faithful around the world continue to offer prayers for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the Cardinal Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome, Angelo De Donatis, on Friday presided over a special evening Mass for him in St John's Basilica in the Lateran.

Although critical, the director of the Vatican Press Office, Matteo Bruni, has confirmed that Benedict XVI’s health conditions remain stable.

Affection and gratitude

Cardinal De Donatis introduced his homily by expressing the prayerful “affection” and “gratitude” of the entire Church of Rome to the Pope Emeritus, who - he noted - loved his Diocese “so much and served (it) with unselfish love.”

Reflecting on today’s Gospel of the Solemnity of the Holy Family, the Archpriest St John's Basilica highlighted the likeness between the “trusting abandonment” to God of Benedict XVI whose baptismal name is Joseph, to that of St. Joseph when fleeing Herod with Mary and Baby Jesus.
 

Full video, with English commentary, at the link...

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253189/faithful-pray-for-benedict-xvi-at-special-mass-in-rome
‘Trust in Providence’: Faithful pray for Benedict XVI at special Mass in Rome
By AC Wimmer
CNA Newsroom, Dec 30, 2022 / 11:30 am

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RIP POPE EMERITUS, BENEDICT XVI   
https://twitter.com/EdwardPentin?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Edward Pentin@EdwardPentin · 3h

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni: “With sorrow I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican.  Further information will be provided as soon as possible.”

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253167/breaking-pope-emeritus-benedict-xvi-dies-at-age-95

BREAKING: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI dies at age 95
By Matthew Bunson, AC Wimmer
CNA Newsroom, Dec 31, 2022 / 02:44 am

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, a leading theologian of the 20th century and the first pope to resign from office in nearly 600 years, has died at the age of 95, the Vatican announced.

His death was announced in Rome on Dec. 31. His funeral Mass will be held on Jan. 5, 2023, in St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican said.

The Vatican press office director, Matteo Bruni, said Dec. 31: “With sorrow I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican.”

Benedict XVI’s body will lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica beginning on Jan. 2, 2023.

Bruni told journalists in a news briefing Dec. 31 that Benedict received the sacrament of anointing of the sick on Dec. 28.

The solemn funeral Mass will be on Jan. 5, 2023, at 9:30 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square, with Pope Francis presiding.

“In accordance with the wish of the pope emeritus, the funeral will be carried out under the sign of simplicity,” Bruni said.

You can watch EWTN’s live coverage of Benedict’s death from Rome here.

As of 2 p.m. in Rome, police have emptied St. Peter’s Square for security checks. At 5 p.m. Pope Francis will celebrate First Vespers for the vigil of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, inside the Vatican basilica.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253168/benedict-xvi-dead-at-95-the-humble-worker-and-his-legacy-of-hope-to-the-catholic-church

Benedict XVI dead at 95: The ‘humble worker’ and his legacy of hope to the Catholic Church
By Luke Coppen, AC Wimmer, Matthew Bunson
CNA Newsroom, Dec 31, 2022 / 02:59 am

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has died at the age of 95, bringing to a close the momentous life of a Churchman who proclaimed the “eternal joy” of Jesus Christ and called himself a “humble worker” in the vineyard of the Lord.

His death was announced in Rome on Dec. 31.

Cardinal Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger was elected pope on April 19, 2005, and took the name Benedict XVI. Eight years later, on Feb. 11, 2013, the 85-year-old shocked the world with the announcement — made in Latin — that he was resigning from the papacy. It was the first resignation of a pope in nearly 600 years. He cited his advanced age and lack of strength as unsuitable for the exercise of his office.

However, the enormous legacy of his theologically profound contributions to the Church and the world will continue to be the source of reflection and study.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2022-12/pope-francis-descriptions-emeritus-benedict-xvi.html

What Pope Francis has said regarding Benedict XVI
31 December 2022, 14:44


As Pope Francis prepares to preside over the funeral of the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on Thursday, 5 January, several remarks from early in his pontificate offer a portrait of his German-born predecessor.
By Vatican News

No sooner had Bergoglio been elected Pope when some of his first words right at the beginning of his pontificate were addressed to Benedict XVI. While greeting the crowd from the central loggia of the Vatican Basilica, Pope Francis said:

“First of all, I would like to offer a prayer for our Bishop Emeritus, Benedict XVI. Let us pray together for him, that the Lord may bless him and that Our Lady may keep him.”

‘A great Pope’

“Benedict XVI: a great Pope”: Pope Francis thus defined Benedict XVI on 27 October 2014 during the inauguration of a bust in honour of the Pope Emeritus at the Papal Academy of Sciences.

During his speech, Pope Francis remembered his predecessor as:

“Great in strength and intellectual insight, great in his significant contribution to theology, great in his love for the Church and for human beings, great in his virtue and his religiosity.”
 

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Full video of Vespers and Te Deum, with English commentary, at the link...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-12/pope-pays-tribute-benedict-xvi-s-witness-faith-prayer-kindness.html
Pope pays tribute to Benedict XVI's witness of faith, prayer, kindness
31 December 2022, 17:40

Pope Francis remembers "dear Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI who left us this morning," recalling him as such a noble and kind man of faith, while expressing gratitude to God for his gift to the Church. The Pope's words came in his homily at the end of the year celebration of Vespers and the Te Deum.
By Thaddeus Jones

Pope Francis led the traditional end of the year celebration of Vespers followed by the recitation of the Te Deum, the Church’s solemn chant of Thanksgiving for the past year. The celebration on New Year's Eve took place in Saint Peter's Basilica.

In his homily, the Pope remembered Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI who died earlier in the morning, recalling his great kindness, witness of faith and prayer.

“And speaking of kindness, at this moment, my thought naturally goes to dear Pope emeritus Benedict XVI who left us this morning. We are moved as we recall him as such a noble person, so kind. And we feel such gratitude in our hearts: gratitude to God for having given him to the Church and to the world; gratitude to him for all the good he accomplished, and above all, for his witness of faith and prayer, especially in these last years of his recollected life. Only God knows the value and the power of his intercession, of the sacrifices he offered for the good of the Church.”

Kindness marked the key word in the Pope's homily during this celebration of Evening Prayer of the Solemnity of Mary Most Holy, Mother of God.

The Pope recalled Mary's "yes" to God and that His will be fulfilled in her "began the slow journey of the gestation of a humanity free from sin and filled with grace and truth, filled with love and faithfulness."  The Pope explained how God chose this way to enter into the world and history.

“A beautiful, good and true humanity, made in the image and likeness of God, but at the same time, woven with our flesh offered by Mary…never without her…always with her consent…in freedom, gratuitously, respectfully, in love.”
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253198/pope-francis-gives-thanks-to-god-for-benedict-xvis-sacrifices-for-the-church
Pope Francis gives thanks to God for Benedict XVI’s sacrifices for the Church
By Hannah Brockhaus, Courtney Mares
Rome Newsroom, Dec 31, 2022 / 10:33 am

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2022.index.html
Homilies 2022
Celebration of Vespers and Te Deum in Thanksgiving for the past year (31 December 2022)

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253199/benedict-xvi-s-final-resting-place-decided-he-will-be-buried-in-vatican-crypt

Benedict XVI’s final resting place decided: He will be buried in Vatican crypt
By Hannah Brockhaus
Vatican City, Dec 31, 2022 / 10:00 am

Benedict XVI will be buried in the crypt under St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican said Saturday afternoon.

Benedict’s death, at the age of 95, was announced in Rome on Dec. 31. His body will lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica from the morning of Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, until his funeral Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Jan. 5, 2023.

The tombs in the Vatican crypt are close to the remains of the Catholic Church’s first pope, St. Peter the Apostle.

Benedict XVI’s remains will stay at Mater Ecclesiae Monastery until Jan. 2, 2022, the Vatican said. No official visits or public prayers are planned.

His body will lie in state from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Jan. 2, 2023, and from 7 a.m to 7 p.m. on Jan. 3 and 4, 2023, in St. Peter’s Basilica, where members of the public may pay their final respects.

The funeral Mass on Jan. 5, 2023, will take place at 9:30 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square. Attendance is free and requires no reservation.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253197/live-updates-pope-emeritus-benedict-xvi-dies-at-age-95

LIVE UPDATES: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI dies at age 95
By Katie Yoder, Lauretta Brown, CNA Staff
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 31, 2022 / 05:25 am

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, a leading theologian of the 20th century and the first pope to resign from office in nearly 600 years, has died at the age of 95.

Follow along here for live updates, all times are in U.S. Eastern Standard Time:
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2022-12/the-spiritual-testament-of-pope-emeritus-benedict-xvi.html

The Spiritual Testament of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
31 December 2022, 19:58

The Holy See releases the Spiritual Testament of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, dated 29 August 2006.

My spiritual testament

When, at this late hour of my life, I look back on the decades I have wandered through, I see first of all how much reason I have to give thanks. Above all, I thank God Himself, the giver of all good gifts, who has given me life and guided me through all kinds of confusion; who has always picked me up when I began to slip, who has always given me anew the light of his countenance. In retrospect, I see and understand that even the dark and arduous stretches of this path were for my salvation and that He guided me well in those very stretches.

I thank my parents, who gave me life in difficult times and prepared a wonderful home for me with their love, which shines through all my days as a bright light until today. My father's clear-sighted faith taught us brothers and sisters to believe and stood firm as a guide in the midst of all my scientific knowledge; my mother's heartfelt piety and great kindness remain a legacy for which I cannot thank her enough. My sister has served me selflessly and full of kind concern for decades; my brother has always paved the way for me with the clear-sightedness of his judgements, with his powerful determination, and with the cheerfulness of his heart; without this ever-new going ahead and going along, I would not have been able to find the right path.
 

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2022-12/pope-emeritus-benedict-xvi-dies-aged-95.html
Farewell to Benedict XVI: ‘Humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord'
31 December 2022, 10:35
Updated at 16.42

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Full video, with English commentary, at the link...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-01/as-new-year-begins-pope-francis-says-mary-gives-us-hope.html
As New Year begins, Pope Francis says, ‘Mary gives us hope’
01 January 2023, 10:15

In his homily during the Mass for the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, Pope Francis invites the faithful to rediscover “the enthusiasm of going” and “the wonder of seeing,” as the shepherds did, “the secret that can make this world truly new.”
By Christopher Wells

Mary’s Motherhood is a “fundamental datum of faith,” but also “ “a marvelous fact”: “God has a Mother,” Pope Francis explained, “and is thus bound forever to our humanity, to the point that our humanity is His humanity.”

In his homily for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, the Holy Father noted that this truth has “mostly entered the hearts and minds of the holy People of God” through the invocation in the dearly loved prayer, the Hail Mary. “To this invocation, the Mother of God always responds,” the Pope said. “She hears our petitions; holding her Son in her arms, she blesses us and brings us the tender love of God made flesh.”

“In a word, Mary gives us hope.”

The Pope said, "The year, which opens with the celebration of God's Mother and our own, tells us that the key to hope is Mary, and that the antiphon of hope is the invocation, 'Holy Mother of God!'"

And, he added, "Today we entrust to our Blessed Mother our beloved Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI so that she may accompany him in his passage from this world to God."
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253206/pope-francis-entrusts-the-late-benedict-xvi-to-the-blessed-virgin-mary
Pope Francis entrusts the late Benedict XVI to the Blessed Virgin Mary
By Courtney Mares
Vatican City, Jan 1, 2023 / 03:17 am

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2023.index.html
Homilies 2023
Holy Mass on the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (1st January 2023)

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Video, with English commentary, at the link...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-01/pope-at-angelus-we-thank-god-for-the-gift-of-benedict-xvi.html
Pope at Angelus: We thank God for the gift of Benedict XVI
01 January 2023, 12:25

At the midday Angelus following the morning Mass on New Year's Day, Pope Francis calls on us to invoke the Blessed Mother's intercession for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died Saturday morning.
By Vatican News staff writer

Speaking to the crowds gathered in Saint Peter's Square on New Year's Day, Pope Francis recalled that the start of the new year is entrusted to Mary Most Holy, whom we celebrated today as Mother of God. He invited everyone to invoke her intercession, especially for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died Saturday morning.

“Let us all join together, with one heart and one soul, in thanking God for the gift of this faithful servant of the Gospel and of the Church.”
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253210/pope-francis-let-mary-teach-you-what-to-do-in-the-new-year
Pope Francis: Let Mary teach you what to do in the New Year
By Hannah Brockhaus
Rome Newsroom, Jan 1, 2023 / 08:31 am

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2023.index.html
Angelus - Regina Cæli 2023
Angelus, 1st January 2023, Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-01/pope-may-we-all-unite-gratitude-for-faithful-servant-of-gospel.html
Pope: May we all unite in gratitude for this faithful servant of Gospel
01 January 2023, 15:38

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope.html
The body of the Pope Emeritus in the Mater Ecclesiae chapel

At the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Francis again recalled, as he did at yesterday evening's Te Deum and this morning's Mass, his late predecessor, Benedict XVI. On Saturday, shortly after Benedict's death, the Pope went to the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to pray over his body, which now rests in the Monastery chapel. His body will be transferred to St. Peter's Basilica tomorrow morning allowing for veneration by the faithful.
By Salvatore Cernuzio and Tiziana Campisi

"The beginning of the new year is entrusted to Mary Most Holy, whom we celebrate today as Mother of God. At this time, let us invoke her intercession, especially for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who left this world yesterday morning. Let us all join together, with one heart and one soul, in thanking God for the gift of this faithful servant of the Gospel and of the Church."

Pope Francis offered these words of affection and sorrow for the death of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, but also his gratitude for one whom, as in yesterday evening's Te Deum, he described as "a gift for the Church and the world". Benedict, "the good grandfather," the "father" and "brother", as he had called him during these years of his pontificate, died yesterday morning at the age of 95.

The Vatican's Press Office released images of the body of the Pope emeritus lying in repose in the chapel of the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, located in the Vatican Gardens a few steps away from the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, which Benedict XVI had chosen as his home after stepping down from the Petrine ministry in 2013.

Pope Francis' visit yesterday to Mater Ecclesiae Monastery

On Saturday morning, Pope Francis went to the Monastery a few minutes after 9.34 am, the hour of Benedict XVI's death, the director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, confirmed today. He explained that, immediately after being informed by the special secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, the Pope went to the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery by car at around 10 am. He had also made a visit there last Wednesday, 28 December, immediately after speaking of the Pope Emeritus' worsening health situation, asking for "a special prayer" for him.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253207/vatican-releases-photos-of-benedict-xvis-body
Vatican shares first photos of Benedict XVI after death
By Hannah Brockhaus
Rome Newsroom, Jan 1, 2023 / 05:28 am

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253215/here-are-the-last-words-spoken-by-pope-emeritus-benedict-xvi

Here are the last words spoken by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
By Zelda Caldwell, Courtney Mares
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 1, 2023 / 12:12 pm

The last words of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI as he lay on his deathbed were “Lord, I love you!” according to the late pope’s longtime personal secretary Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Vatican News reported.

At about 3 a.m. on Dec. 31, a few hours before he died, Benedict was alone with a nurse who did not speak German, Vatican News reported. At that time Gänswein and others who were taking turns staying with the pope emeritus had left the room for a moment.

Gänswein recounted that Benedict XVI “in a soft but clearly distinguishable voice said in Italian, ‘Lord, I love you!’”

Gänswein said: “I was not there at the time, but the nurse told me shortly afterwards. Those were his last comprehensible words because after that he was no longer able to express himself."

The pope emeritus’ death was announced in Rome on Dec. 31. His solemn funeral Mass will be on Thursday, Jan. 5, at 9:30 a.m. Rome time in St. Peter’s Square, with Pope Francis presiding. Benedict XVI will be buried in the Vatican crypt following the funeral.

“In accordance with the wish of the pope emeritus, the funeral will be carried out under the sign of simplicity,” the Vatican press office director, Matteo Bruni, said. Bruni told journalists in a news briefing Dec. 31 that Benedict received the sacrament of anointing of the sick on Dec. 28.
 

Video, and English transcript of the interview, at the link...
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253203/pope-benedict-xvi-personal-secretary-georg-ganswein-ewtn-interview
WATCH: Benedict's longtime secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, reflects on the late pope's life, legacy
By CNA Staff
Rome Newsroom, Jan 1, 2023 / 02:30 am

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Video at the link...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-01/saying-goodbye-to-benedict-faithful-flock-to-st-peter-s.html
Bidding farewell to Benedict XVI: Thousands pay their respects in St Peter’s
02 January 2023, 10:19

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city.html

Ahead of his funeral on Thursday, the body of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI lies in state in St Peter's Basilica, where the faithful can pay their final respects and to offer their prayers for the repose of the soul of the late Joseph Ratzinger.
By Christopher Wells

The mortal remains of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI have been transferred to the Basilica of Saint Peter, where they will lay in state for three days to offer the faithful an opportunity for prayer and to pay their final respects to the former Supreme Pontiff.

The Pope Emeritus’ body – resting in front of the Altar of the Confession – is vested in traditional red liturgical garments with a miter, but without the pallium (the latter a symbol of jurisdiction which is normally not used for a retired prelate). A simple Rosary is held in his interlaced fingers.

Long, prayerful lines

On Monday morning, the Pope Emeritus’ remains were translated from the Monastery to the Basilica in a private ceremony.

A long line of the faithful and other well-wishers had already formed early Monday morning before the viewing officially began at 9 am Rome time.

On Monday morning, the Pope Emeritus’ remains were translated from the Monastery’s chapel to the Basilica in a private ceremony, presided over by Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, who holds the title of Archpriest of St Peter’s. The brief ceremony lasted approximately half an hour.
 

Video and photos at the link...

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253218/thousands-gather-to-pay-final-respects-to-body-of-benedict-xvi
VIDEO AND PHOTOS: Thousands gather to pay final respects to body of Benedict XVI
By Courtney Mares, Hannah Brockhaus
Vatican City, Jan 2, 2023 / 04:54 am

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2023-01/churches-remember-benedict-xvi-as-man-committed-to-ecumenism.html

Churches remember Benedict XVI as a man committed to ecumenism
02 January 2023, 13:49

People queuing in St. Peter's Square to their final respects to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI  (VATICAN MEDIA Divisione Foto)

Christian Churches across the world express deep sorrow at the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and remember him as a fine theologian committed to ecumenical dialogue and a very humane person.
By Lisa Zengarini

As thousands of people begin to flock to  St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican to pay their final respects to Benedict XVI, tributes to the late Pope Emeritus continue to pour in from across the world, including other Christian Churches, Heads of state and government, and also from faith leaders of other religions.

Following the announcement of his passing away on 31 December, the acting general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Reverend Ioan Sauca, expressed the “deepest condolences” of all its member Churches, highlighting his significant contribution to ecumenical dialogue.

Noting that he was the first pope to have come from a country, Germany, with a roughly equal balance between Protestants and Catholics, and one that had been at the very centre of the 16th century Reformation, Rev. Sauca also remarked that Benedict XVI was the first Catholic Pontiff to have belonged to a committee of the WCC, as one of the Catholic members of its ‘Faith and Order Commission’.
 

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2023-01/world-leaders-mourning-death-of-benedict-xvi.html
World leaders mourning death of Benedict XVI
02 January 2023, 16:13

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253219/benedict-xvi-s-funeral-only-2-countries-will-send-official-delegations

Benedict XVI’s funeral: Only 2 countries will send official delegations
By Kelsey Wicks
Rome Newsroom, Jan 2, 2023 / 06:30 am

Archbishop Georg Gänswein, the longtime personal secretary of Benedict XVI, greets Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, on Jan. 2, 2023, at St. Peter's Basilica, where Benedict is lying in state. | Vatican Media

Just two official state delegations — from Italy and Germany — will attend the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the Vatican’s press office has confirmed, answering one of the many novel protocol questions posed by the death of a pope emeritus.

The German-born Benedict, formerly Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, lived in Italy for more than 40 years, beginning in 1981. The Holy See Press Office confirmed on Dec. 31 that the two countries were sending official representatives to the funeral, which will be on Thursday.

Both Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni paid their respects to the late pontiff Monday morning at St. Peter’s Basilica, where his body will lie in state through Jan. 4. While there, Meloni offered her condolences to Benedict’s longtime personal secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein.

According to the news magazine Der Spiegel, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will attend Benedict’s funeral on Thursday in an official capacity.

The protocols after the death of a reigning pope have in the past provided a well-known set of rituals, but the death of a pope emeritus presents a unique situation. Speculation about whether he would be buried in papal dress or that of a cardinal has been accompanied by other questions surrounding who will attend the funeral in an official capacity since Benedict XVI is no longer a head of state.

The answer appears to be a mixture of papal rites. Buried in the papal red, his body was adorned with many features reserved for a pope, but not all: the characteristic red shoes worn by Benedict as pope were replaced by black ones. In the case of official delegations, just two were invited, though any public figure can attend the event in a personal capacity.

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253220/benedict-xvi-to-be-buried-in-first-tomb-of-pope-john-paul-ii

Benedict XVI to be buried in first tomb of Pope John Paul II
By Hannah Brockhaus
Rome Newsroom, Jan 2, 2023 / 06:35 am

Pope Benedict XVI visits the tomb of the late Pope John Paul II in the grotto beneath St. Peter's Basilica after a meeting with young Catholics, in preparation of the XXI World Youth Day at the Vatican April 6, 2006. | Photo by ARTURO MARI/AFP via Getty Images

Benedict XVI will be interred in the Vatican crypt in the same spot where Pope John Paul II was buried before his beatification.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni confirmed the site of Benedict’s tomb to journalists on Jan. 2, the first day the pope emeritus’ body was laid in state in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Benedict’s death at age 95 was announced in Rome on Dec. 31.

Benedict XVI’s coffin will be carried to the crypt under the central part of St. Peter’s Basilica for interment after his funeral Mass on Jan. 5.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-01/pope-emeritus-benedict-xvi-requiem-mass-details.html

Pope Francis to preside at Requiem Mass for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
03 January 2023, 17:58

The Holy See Press Office releases details of the Requiem Mass which Pope Francis will preside over on Thursday for the repose of the soul of the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
By Devin Watkins

The Vatican has published the rite for the Requiem Mass for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, which will be celebrated on Thursday at 9:30 AM Rome time.

The booklet for the Mass is based largely on the Rite of Christian Burial of a Supreme Pontiff with several modifications.

Matteo Bruni, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, told reporters on Tuesday that some portions have been added, while others more relevant to the death of a reigning Pope have been taken out.

As an example, he said the supplications for the Diocese of Rome and the Oriental Churches have been removed.
 

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253231/here-are-the-prayers-that-will-be-offered-at-benedict-xvi-s-funeral-mass
Here are the prayers and readings for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s funeral Mass
By Courtney Mares
Rome Newsroom, Jan 3, 2023 / 09:07 am

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253226/funeral-of-benedict-xvi-everything-you-need-to-know
Funeral of Benedict XVI: Everything you need to know
By CNA Staff
Vatican City, Jan 3, 2023 / 01:46 am

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-01/pope-pens-preface-to-book-of-benedict-xvi-spiritual-thoughts.html

Pope Francis: Theology of Benedict XVI was passion steeped in the Gospel
04 January 2023, 10:02

Pope Francis writes the preface to book gathering the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's spiritual reflections, edited by Luca Caruso and entitled 'God is Always New', which will be published by the Vatican Publishing House on 14 January.
By Pope Francis

I am delighted that the reader has in hand this text on the spiritual thought of the late Pope Benedict XVI. The title already expresses one of the most distinctive aspects of his magisterium and vision of faith: God is always new because He is the source and reason for beauty, grace, and truth. God is never repetitive, God surprises us, God brings newness. The spiritual freshness that arises from these pages strongly confirms this reality.

Benedict XVI did theology on his knees in prayer. His explanation of matters of faith was carried out with the devotion of a man who totally surrendered himself to God and who, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, sought an ever-greater understanding of the mystery of Jesus, who fascinated him from his youth.