Farewell Benedict XVI: Thousands pay respect to former pope as lying in state begins at Vatican
Tens of thousands of people have descended upon the Vatican to pay respect to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. The funeral on 5 January will be presided over by Pope Francis, making it the first time a former pontiff will be buried by his successor
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Thousands of people are lining up outside St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City to pay their respects to Pope Benedict XVI, who passed away on Saturday at 95. The former pope emeritus will lie in state for three days before his funeral, scheduled for 5 January. AFP
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Pope Benedict XVI breathed his last in the Vatican monastery where he lived since his retirement in 2013 when he became the first pontiff to resign in 600 years. Benedict’s body was dressed with a miter, the peaked headgear of a bishop and a red cloak. AP
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His funeral in St. Peter’s Square will be a simple, solemn and sober ceremony in keeping with his wishes, the Vatican said. Benedict’s successor, Pope Francis, will preside over the service.. AP
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Public viewing will last for 10 hours today in St. Peter’s Basilica, while 12 hours of viewing are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday before Thursday morning’s funeral. AP
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According to AP, security officials are expecting millions of faithful to pay their respects, with at least 25,000 people to pass by the body on the first day of viewing. AP
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Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s longtime secretary, Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, welcomes Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni as she arrives to pay her respect. The Vatican has said only two nations’ official delegations — from Italy and from Benedict’s native Germany — were invited formally to the funeral, since the pope emeritus was no longer head of state. AFP
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Italy’s Giorgia Meloni pays her respect to Pope Benedict lying in state at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. People from far and wide are flocking to the Vatican City pay their respects. They are unperturbed by long security measures required for tourists entering the basilica — passing through metal detectors and screening bags through an X-ray machine. AFP
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People wait in a line to enter St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican where late Pope Benedict XVI is being laid in state. An American was quoted as telling the Associated Press that the opportunity to view the body was “an amazing experience.” He said he arrived 90 minutes before dawn and left the basilica a half-hour after it opened. “I loved Benedict, I loved him as a cardinal (Joseph Ratzinger), when he was elected pope and also after he retired. I think he was a sort of people’s grandfather living in the Vatican.” AP
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