Benedict XVI: Vatican in uncharted waters as it prepares for death of retired pontiff for first time
Misty Severi
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The deteriorating health of Benedict XVI, the pope emeritus, has put the Vatican in uncharted territory as it prepares possible funeral arrangements for a past pope, not a current one.
The resignation of Benedict in 2013 marked an unprecedented change for the Vatican. Several funeral protocols will need to be adjusted since, in the event of his death, there will still be a living pope. The most significant change is the elimination of the conclave to choose the next pope.
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Several experts have predicted that the funeral for Benedict would more closely resemble the funeral of a retired bishop of Rome. This would include a funeral in either St. Peter’s Basilica or the piazza that is presided over by Pope Francis. However, the funeral would likely be grander than a funeral for a normal retired bishop since he was a former head of state and foreign delegations would attend.
“The funeral for a pope emeritus is the funeral for the bishop emeritus of Rome,” church historian Alberto Melloni told the Associated Press.
Some questions will be answered after Benedict’s death when his specific funeral arrangements are released. However, Benedict’s biographer, Peter Seewald, has said the former pope wants to be buried in the tomb that belonged to his predecessor, John Paul II, before he was canonized, according to the BBC.
One change that will be necessary is the role of the camerlengo, currently held by Cardinal Kevin Farrell.
The camerlengo typically runs the Vatican between the death of one pope and the election of the next. This time, Pope Francis will continue running the Vatican after Benedict’s death.
The camerlengo additionally confirms the pope’s death by tapping his head three times with a small silver hammer and calling out his name, according to the BBC. It also oversees the destruction of the pope’s fisherman’s ring, sealing the papal apartments, and organizing the funeral. But since Benedict’s ring was already destroyed when he resigned and he no longer lives in the papal apartments, neither act will likely be done.
Another change experts predict is the elimination of the nine days of funeral rites before burial, called the “novemdiales,” during which mourners can say their goodbyes. Ulrich Nersinger, a German author who has written multiple books on the Vatican, claimed the novemdiales are reserved for reigning popes.
“That’s supposed to be a kind of preparation for the conclave, and we won’t be having that,” Nersinger told the German outlet DW. “I know the papal masters of ceremonies have tried to develop plans, but a lot will depend on what Benedict himself has set out in his will.”
Nersinger also said he does not believe Benedict will be laid out in pontifical robes, although Benedict chose to wear the white robes of the papacy even after he was no longer the pope, a controversial decision at the time.
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Word of Benedict’s failing health picked up this week after Francis asked for prayers for his 95-year-old predecessor because he was “very ill.”
“I would like to ask all of you for a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict,” Francis said. “Remember him. He is very ill, asking the Lord to console him and sustain him.”
On Thursday, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni confirmed that the former pope’s condition was serious but that he was lucid and stable.
When Benedict stepped down, he was the first pope to retire in 600 years.