Applause broke out in a sign of respect for Benedict, a hero to Roman Catholic conservatives, as Francis arrived in the square in a wheelchair, joined by clergy from around the world, heads of state and thousands of faithful.
“:”To the sound of tolling bells, 12 pallbearers carried the wooden coffin of Pope Benedict out of St Peter’s Basilica on Thursday and placed it before thousands of faithful gathered in the square for his funeral. Applause broke out across the vast, cobbled esplanade, which was shrouded in mist, in a sign of respect for Benedict, a hero to Roman Catholic conservatives, who shocked the world by resigning nearly a decade ago. Pope Francis arrived in the square in a wheelchair to preside over the service. Troubled by a bad knee, the pontiff sat in a chair looking down on the coffin, slightly hunched and glum-faced as choirs sung in Latin. Clergy from around the world, a handful of heads of state and thousands of faithful attended the outdoor ceremony as the sun slowly broke through the fog. More than 1,000 Italian security personnel were called up to help safeguard the event, and air space around the tiny Holy See has been closed off for the day. Italy ordered that flags around the country be flown at half staff. Among those attending the funeral were Germans in traditional Bavarian outfits carrying flags and standards of the area of Germany where Benedict was born. Benedict, a world renowned theologian, died at 95 on Saturday in a monastery within the Vatican gardens where he moved after becoming the first pontiff in 600 years to stand down, opening the way for the election of Pope Francis, who has proved a more reformist, hands-on leader. As ex-pope Benedict’s last words revealed, thousands pay their respects “Even though at our age we were just children when he was pope, he left his mark,” Xavier Mora, 24, a Spaniard who is studying for the priesthood in Rome, said as he approached the square with two other seminarians.
