Thousands of people filed past the body of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died Saturday at the age of 95, as it lay in state at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
On Thursday, his successor, Pope Francis, will lay him to rest.
Benedict’s body, draped in red and gold vestments, is flanked by two Swiss guards and surrounded by the faithful paying their respects, all to the accompaniment of solemn organ music and singing. It’s the kind of setting you’d expect for a papacy defined by orthodoxy, if not without contradictions.
He was dubbed “God’s Rottweiler” for his zealous adherence to church doctrine. However, Benedict’s papacy was one of the firsts.
Despite his failings, he was the first pope to meet with victims of sex abuse and publicly apologize, condemning what he called “filth” in the church during a 2008 trip to the United States.
In his most defining act, Benedict resigned as the first pope in six centuries, citing his “inability to fulfill” his ministry due to the strains of old age.
While he left the papacy with a majestic farewell over the Eternal City in 2013, he never left the Vatican. While Francis praised Benedict’s courage in abdicating power, the fact that both men were dressed in white created the impression of two opposing ideological camps: Francis, the more liberal, and Benedict, the arch-conservative.
Tina White, who was visiting the Vatican from Detroit, said Benedict’s resignation was a mistake: “Being elected Pope is a tremendous honor. And you should not discard it.”
But now, for the first time since becoming Pope nearly ten years ago, Francis is alone, mourning his only confidant who could possibly understand what it meant to be pope, according to Gerard O’Connell, Vatican expert for the Jesuit magazine America.
“What does Francis lose with Benedict’s death?” asked O’Connell.
“Francis has always been drawn to grandparents,” said O’Connell. “He’s always emphasized the importance of grandparents in the lives of his children. He has recently lost his grandfather.”
On Thursday, Francis will make history by becoming the first pope in modern times to preside over his predecessor’s funeral.
According to the Vatican, the ceremony will be solemn and straightforward, just as Benedict desired.
