Preparing the funeral of an expapade, a first for the Vatican

When a pope dies, the Vatican the usual protocol for his funeral and his succession is applied, but the disappearance of the emeritus pope Benedict XVI -who resigned almost ten years ago- will represent a first for the Vatican authorities.

Usually, the death of the supreme pontiff triggers the rapid convening of a conclave in which the cardinals choose his successor.

A scenario necessarily excluded in the case of Benedict XVI, since Francis succeeded him in 2013. So which protocol to turn to?

The Vatican authorities have been working on the issue since the sudden deterioration in the last days of the state of health of Joseph Ratzinger, the first pope to resign in six centuries.

However, they do so in secret and have not revealed their intentions.

Funeral

According to the apostolic constitution promulgated in 1996 by John Paul IIa pope must be buried between four and six days after his death.

The calendar is generally decided by the cardinals who come from all over the world for this occasion. They also observe the “novemdials”, that is, the nine days of mourning in homage to the late pope.

Traditionally it is the cardinals – from among whom the future pope is chosen – who are up for maneuver due to the power vacuum created by the pontiff’s death, but this will not be the case as Pope Francis is in office.

In 2005, the body of John Paul II – the last deceased pope – was exposed before his solemn funeral in Saint Peter’s Square, in the presence of numerous heads of state and government, kings and queens.

The ceremony was presided over by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, then head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, who was later elected by his peers to the throne of Saint Peter.

One million people attended the funeral of the charismatic Polish pope.

As a former pope, Benedict XVI should also have funerals in St. Peter’s Square, unless he specifically instructed.

Although his popularity never reached that of John Paul II, the German pope, head of the Catholic Church from 2005 to 2013, is a former head of state and as such his burial should draw a crowd of high dignitaries and faithful. .

Grave

His official biographer, the German journalist Peter Seewald, revealed in 2020 that he wanted to be buried in the tomb of John Paul II, in the crypt of Saint Peter.

This tomb has been empty since the transfer of John Paul II’s coffin to a side chapel on the occasion of his beatification in 2011.

For Monsignor Claudio Magnoli, a Vatican expert on liturgy, “the rite provided for the obsequies of the popes will be respected, since Ratzinger was pope.”

“The essential difference is that they could be presided over by a pope in office, that is to say by (Argentine pope Jorge) Bergoglio, while, until now, this role corresponded to the dean of cardinals or to another cardinal,” he told AFP.

Whichever option is chosen, Francisco will have the last word.

When a Pope dies, his pontifical ring, made especially for each new pope and previously used as a seal for documents, is also destroyed.

In the case of Benedict XVI the papal arms on his ring were crossed out with an “X” after his resignation to make it unusable.