Supporters demand sainthood for Benedict as ex-Pope is buried

The funeral of Pope Benedict XVI was held at the Vatican, on Thursday, and was presided over by Pope Francis, Sky News reports.

Prior to the service, thousands of mourners were allowed to pass by Benedict’s body, which was on display in St. Peter’s Basilica while carrying rosary beads and dressed in robes.

As it started, pallbearers carried Benedict’s casket from the enormous church and placed it in front of an altar in St. Peter’s Square.

Thousands of people, including world leaders, royalty, and members of the clergy, had gathered inside the huge area.

The opening rites were performed by Pope Francis, 86, who arrived in a wheelchair and was dressed in the crimson robes customary for papal funerals.

The service started with a prayer and Francis closed it an hour later by solemnly blessing the casket – decorated only with the former pope’s coat of arms.

During the homily, Francis appeared to compare Benedict to Jesus, including his last words before he died on the cross, when he said: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”

But the current Pope did not dwell on Benedict’s specific legacy and only uttered his name once.

He said, “Benedict, faithful friend of the Bridegroom [Jesus], may your joy be complete as you hear his voice, now and forever,” before adding that the ecclesial community wanted to “commend our brother into the hands of the Father.”

Following a period of silence, before the universal prayer, the words “for Pope Emeritus Benedict, who has fallen asleep in the Lord, may the eternal shepherd receive him into his kingdom of light and peace,” were read out.

During the service, he was laid out in a coffin made of cypress wood enclosed first by zinc with a further wooden coffin inside.

Some in the crowd held banners or shouted “Santo Subito!”, Italian for “Sainthood Now!” – an echo of calls that were made during the funeral in 2005 of John Paul II, the last pope to die.

Following the ceremony, at his request, Benedict was entombed in the crypt beneath St Peter’s, in an area once occupied by the coffin of John Paul II.

Benedict was buried with a document in Latin that detailed some of the most notable occurrences of his papacy, alongside some coins and other papal regalia.