Pope Benedict XVI died on Saturday morning at the age of 95.
By Emma Ogbuehi
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI will be buried in the crypt under St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican said Saturday afternoon.
According to a funeral programme released by the Vatican, his body will lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica from the morning of Monday, January 2, 2023, until his funeral Mass in St. Peter’s Square on January 5, 2023.
The tombs in the Vatican crypt are close to the remains of the Catholic Church’s first pope, St. Peter the Apostle.
Benedict XVI’s remains will stay at Mater Ecclesiae Monastery until January 2, 2022, the Vatican said. No official visits or public prayers are planned.
His body will lie in state from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on January 2, 2023, and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on January 3 and 4, 2023, in St. Peter’s Basilica, where members of the public may pay their final respects.
The funeral Mass on January 5, 2023, will take place at 9:30 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square. Attendance is free and requires no reservation.
At the end of the Mass, there will be the Final Commendation and valediction before Benedict XVI’s coffin is carried to the Vatican crypt for burial.
Vatican on Saturday said Pope Francis will celebrate funeral for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
TheNiche had earlier reported that former Pope Benedict XVI died Saturday morning at the age of 95.
“On Thursday, January 5, at 9:30 a.m. (0830 GMT) the funeral is expected to take place in Saint Peter’s Square, presided over by the Holy Father,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told journalists at a special briefing following the death of the first pontiff to resign in six centuries.