At 9:30 a.m. on January 5, 2023, for the first time in history a Pope will celebrate the funeral of a Pope: Pope Francis will preside over the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI , on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica.
Concelebrating with him, there will be more than 120 cardinals and 400 bishops from various parts of the world and 400 priests. This event was registered by more than 600 journalists at the Holy See Press Office to follow and report to the world. The Roman government expects more than 60,000 faithful to attend the Mass.
On January 3, the Holy See Press Office released many details regarding this ceremony:
The Mass will be the rite for the funeral of a Pope, although there are some slight differences from the funeral of a Pope who died in office.
In addition to the official delegations of the Italian and German governments, heads of state and governments of many countries attended in their own capacity. Then there were the delegations of other Christian Churches, headed by the two Archbishops Vicar of the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople, the Archbishop President of the Council for External Relations of the Moscow Orthodox Patriarchate, many bishops European Orthodox Churches, and German Protestant Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, participating as moderator of the Ecumenical Council of Christian Churches.
On the evening of Wednesday, January 4, at 7:00 p.m., at the end of the homage to the body of the Pope Emeritus, there was a rite of passage: the body was placed in a cypress wooden coffin (Cypresso), and according to tradition Inside were medals and coins minted during his pontificate, the Palliums of Benedict XVI while he was Archbishop of Munich, Germany and Rome, and a text. Pope Benedict XVI's summary is housed in a metal tube.
Thursday morning, January 5, at 8:45 a.m., the coffin of Benedict XVI was carried from inside the Basilica to the steps of St. Peter's Basilica, while the faithful prayed the Rosary.
Next is a funeral Mass, according to the formula for the current Pope, except at the end of the Mass there is no prayer for the Diocese of Rome and the Eastern Rite Churches. Mass readings will be in Spanish and English. In the part of the prayer of the faithful, the first intention will be in German, praying for Pope Emeritus Benedict, who has rested in the Lord: "May the Lord, the eternal Shepherd, receive him into the kingdom of light and peace. jar". Other intentions will be in French, Arabic, Portuguese and Italian.
Since Pope Francis does not move easily, for many parts of the Mass, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, will act in his place at the altar. And next to Cardinal Re, there was Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State.
At the end of Mass, the Pope will preside over the farewell ceremony and the coffin will be carried inside the Temple, and then taken to the Temple cellar for burial. This section is considered a private section, without the presence of television and the press. The coffin will be wrapped with a band around it with the seals of the Congregation of Saint Peter's Basilica, of the Papal Palace and of the Pontifical Council for Liturgy. The cypress coffin will then be placed in a tin casket and sealed, as well as sealed. The coffin was then placed in a third wooden sarcophagus and buried in the tomb, formerly the tomb of Pope John Paul II, before he was beatified.
(Vatican News 3-1-2022)