Pope Benedict XVI is with God
A Washington Post echo report: VATICAN CITY — The Catholic Church conducted a historic funeral Thursday for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI , using a mix of ancient rituals and new precedents for a figure who transformed the papacy with his decision 10 years ago to retire . Pope Francis presided over the 90-minute ceremony, a stripped-down farewell in which he paid tribute to his predecessor with a homily light on personal touches and heavy on verse, mentioning Benedict’s name only once. Afterward, as Benedict was being carried away by pallbearers, Francis — standing with the help of a cane — put his hand on the casket for a final goodbye. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died on December 31, 2022, at the age of 95, on the Vatican grounds, where he had spent nearly all of the last 10 years of his life in retirement. The Vatican said Thursday that the body of the late pope had been buried in the grottoes beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, during a private ceremony.