Italian
Il feretro di Papa Benedetto XVI, il primo papa dimessosi dal suo ruolo in sei secoli, è stato portato in Piazza San Pietro accompagnato dal rintocco di campane e musica d’organo.
Appena i dodici portatori hanno poggiato la bara sul suolo della chiesa più grande della cristianità, un applauso è esploso su tutto il vasto viale lastricato, avvolto nella nebbia in segno di rispetto per Benedetto, un eroe dei conservatori cattolici romani.
Più di 60mila persone hanno riempito la piazza, tra i quali delegazioni ufficiali dall’Italia e dalla Germania, patria natìa di Benedetto.
Altre autorità, inclusi il re e la regina del Belgio e circa 13 capi di Stato o di governo hanno presenziato come privati.
Papa Francesco ha presieduto la cerimonia, su una sedia a fianco all’altare, rimanendo seduto la maggior parte del tempo a causa dell’acciacco al ginocchio che gli impedisce di stare in piedi troppo a lungo.
"Holding fast to the Lord’s last words and to the witness of his entire life, we too, as an ecclesial community want to follow in his steps and to commend our brother into the hands of the Father. May those merciful hands find his lamp alight with the oil of the Gospel that he spread and testified to for his entire life."
La morte di Papa Benedetto di sabato 31 dicembre ha messo fine ad un decennio in cui il Papa presente e quello passato vivevano fianco a fianco in Vaticano.
Era la prima volta in più di duecento anni che un pontefice officiava il rito funebre del suo predecessore.
La morte di Benedetto è stata una perdita per i conservatori, che agognavano un ritorno ad una Chiesa più tradizionale simboleggiata da Benedetto, che stupì il mondo nel 2013, diventando il primo Papa in 600 anni a dimettersi anziché regnare per tutta la vita.
La messa è stata celebrata da 125 cardinali, 200 vescovi e circa 3,700 sacerdoti.
Papa Francesco ha impartito la benedizione finale in latino:
"Gracious Father, we commend to your mercy Pope Emeritus Benedict, whom you made successor of Peter and shepherd of the Church, a fearless preacher of your word and a faithful minister of the divine mysteries."
Dopo il servizio, la bara è stata avvolta in nastri rossi a formare una croce.
Gli addetti successivamente hanno posto la bara in una teca di zinco e l’hanno saldata.
Entrambe sono quindi state poste in una teca di legno, che è stata calata in una cripta.
Un rogito del papato di Benedetto, assieme ad altri oggetti, tra cui monete vaticane coniate durante il suo regno, sono stati messi nel feretro.
Nel rogito, compilato in latino, c’era scritto che Benedetto aveva “lottato con fermezza” contro gli abusi sessuali del clero nella Chiesa.
Nonostante molte autorità abbiano elogiato Benedetto dopo la sua morte, anche alcune critiche si sono alzate, incluse quelle delle vittime di abusi sessuali da parte del clero, che hanno accusato Benedetto di aver cercato di proteggere la Chiesa a tutti i costi.
Ma tra i fedeli che hanno partecipato alla cerimonia, molti invocavano la sua beatificazione.
WOMAN 1: "It is a sad but meaningful day. I wanted to be here so much that I can feel it in my heart."
WOMAN 2: "I felt despite today I had other things to do, that I had to come here. I told myself that I had to come and attend holy mass to accompany him in prayer."
WOMAN 3:"It was a beautiful, silent (quiet) funeral, a very heartfelt funeral, and also historical because there were two popes anyway and I came because I was here on the day of his election"
Sebbene tre degli ultimi cinque papi siano stati fatti santi, soltanto circa un terzo di tutti i pontefici sono stati canonizzati nei duemila anni di storia della Chiesa.
English
The coffin of Pope Benedict the Sixteenth, the first pope in centuries to retire from the role, was brought in to St Peter's Square to the sound of a tolling bell and organ music.
As 12 pallbearers placed it on the ground before the largest church in Christendom, 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.
More than 60,000 people packed the square, among them official delegations from Italy and Pope Benedict's native Germany.
Other leaders, including the king and queen of Belgium and about 13 heads of state or government, attended in a private capacity.
Pope Francis presided, seated on a chair to the side of the altar, sitting most of the time because of knee ailment that impedes him from standing for too long.
"Holding fast to the Lord’s last words and to the witness of his entire life, we too, as an ecclesial community want to follow in his steps and to commend our brother into the hands of the Father. May those merciful hands find his lamp alight with the oil of the Gospel that he spread and testified to for his entire life."
Pope Benedict's death on Saturday December 31 brought to an end a decade of the former and present pope living side-by-side in the Vatican.
It was the first time in more than 200 years that a pontiff had led the funeral service of his predecessor.
His death was a loss for conservatives who yearned for a return to a more traditional Church symbolized by Benedict, who shocked the world in 2013, by becoming the first pope in 600 years to resign instead of reigning for life.
The mass was celebrated by 125 cardinals, 200 bishops and about 3,700 priests.
Pope Francis gave the final blessing in Latin:
"Gracious Father, we commend to your mercy Pope Emeritus Benedict, whom you made successor of Peter and shepherd of the Church, a fearless preacher of your word and a faithful minister of the divine mysteries."
After the service, the coffin was wrapped in red ribbons in the form of a cross.
Workers later put it in a zinc casket and soldered that shut.
Both were then put into a wooden casket, which was lowered into a crypt.
An account of Benedict's papacy, along with other items, including Vatican coins minted during his reign, were tucked into the coffin.
The account, written in Latin, says he "fought with firmness" against sexual abuse by clergy in the Church.
While many leading figures have praised Benedict since his death, criticism has also been aired, including by victims of clergy sexual abuse, who have accused him of seeking to protect the Church at all costs.
But among the faithful attending the ceremony, many were calling for him to become a saint.
WOMAN 1: "It is a sad but meaningful day. I wanted to be here so much that I can feel it in my heart."
WOMAN 2: "I felt despite today I had other things to do, that I had to come here. I told myself that I had to come and attend holy mass to accompany him in prayer."
WOMAN 3:"It was a beautiful, silent (quiet) funeral, a very heartfelt funeral, and also historical because there were two popes anyway and I came because I was here on the day of his election"
While three of the last five popes have been made saints, only around a third of all pontiffs have been canonized in the Church's 2,000-year history.
Report by Allan Lee for SBS News.
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