Pope Benedict XVI: 2 million people attend the laying in state

• The former pope passed away on New Year’s Eve at the age of 95, over ten years after he resigned due to illness.
• History will be made as the first pope to be buried by his successor.
• Thousands of mourners from all around the globe attended the funeral

According to the Vatican, Pope Francis will preside over the funeral, making history as the first sitting Pope in more than 220 years to do so.

The Vatican: During the former Pope Benedict XVI‘s three days of lying in state, nearly 200,000 people paid their respects.

The former Pope passed away on New Year’s Eve at the age of 95, nearly ten years after stepping down due to illness.

In preparation for his funeral on Thursday, his body has been sealed inside a coffin.

The funeral will take place at 9:30 a.m. local time at St. Peter’s Square, right in front of St. Peter’s Basilica (8:30 GMT).

According to the Vatican, Pope Francis will preside over the funeral, making history as the first sitting Pope in more than 220 years to do so.

Thousands of mourners came from all over the world to pay their respects to the former Pope over the three days he was permitted to lay in state.

As he was no longer head of state at the time of his death, only formal delegations from Italy and Benedict’s home Germany would be present.

According to the Catholic News Service, many other heads of state would also attend in an unofficial capacity, including King Philippe of Belgium, Queen Letizia of Spain, and the presidents of Poland and Hungary.

According to his wishes, the ceremony will be simple, and he will be laid to rest in the crypts beneath the Basilica. Says Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni

His remains will be preserved by being placed in a zinc coffin, which will then be placed inside of a wooden casket before being buried in the crypt. Alongside his remains, the papal relics and artefacts that represent his time in office will be placed.

While Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the former Pope a “wonderful man whom history will not forget,” US  President Joe Biden praised his “lifetime of devotion to the Church.”

Upon entering the basilica, one Catholic pilgrimage organizer who had travelled to Rome with his family to pay his respects described the moment as “wonderful” and “humbling.”

Another mourner, Zambian priest Father Callistus Kahale Kabindama, told the news agency Reuters that Benedict had been “a magnificent Pope, a beautiful Pope.”

Benedict, however, was a divisive figure who drew criticism for his inability to appropriately address claims of clergy sexual abuse.

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