Rituals for Benedict’s passing could be template for ex-popes
Elaborate rituals are in place for a reigning pope, but none for a former pontiff
When Pope Gregory XII, the last pope to resign before Benedict, died in 1417, the world was not watching. He was quietly buried in Recanati, a town near the northern Adriatic coast.
It will be vastly different with the passing of ailing 95-year-old Benedict, who the Vatican has said is in a grave, but stable condition after a sudden deterioration in his health over Christmas.
The Vatican has painstakingly elaborate rituals for what happens after a reigning pope dies, but no publicly known ones for a former pope.
After Benedict dies, the Vatican will be at least partially scripting new protocols. They could be a template for other popes who choose to resign instead of ruling for life, including Pope Francis himself someday, Vatican sources say.
Those for a reigning pope include a 30-page constitution called Universi Dominici Gregis and Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis, a missal of more than 400 pages that includes liturgy, music, and prayers.
Burial timeframe
Those rules say a pope’s burial should take place between four and six days after his death as part of a nine-day period of mourning.
Vatican officials said the script for Benedict’s passing would depend on two key elements: If Benedict himself left any instructions and decisions that will be taken by Pope Francis. Francis has often praised his predecessor as a great pope who had the courage to resign, so he would probably like to give Benedict the most solemn ceremonial farewell as possible, one Vatican official said.
Period of lying in state
Many people would want to pay their respects to Benedict, who succeeded John Paul in 2005 and resigned in 2013, so a period of lying in state would be likely, the sources said.
In 2020, Benedict’s authorised biographer, Peter Seewald, was quoted as saying that the emeritus pope had prepared a spiritual testament stating that he wanted to be buried in the same crypt where John Paul II was originally laid to rest.
Benedict, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, presided at John Paul’s funeral in 2005 in St. Peter’s Square and Francis is expected to preside at Benedict’s.
After the death of a reigning pope, the person in charge of ordinary affairs at the Vatican until the election of a new pope is the camerlengo, or chamberlain. The position is currently held by Irish-American Cardinal Kevin Farrell.