Pope Benedict’s funeral to bring “two popes” era to a complicated close
This precedent-setting week will be watched to see how fully Benedict is given the passages that would normally be afforded a sitting pope. Initial indications suggest that his funeral will have less pomp than the 2005 mass-scale ceremony for John Paul II. In this case, the Vatican said only two formal delegations will be attending, from Italy and from Benedict’s native Germany. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the funeral would be “simple.
Marco Politi, a Francis biographer, predicted that the pope would manage this week with “diplomacy” and search for ways to show the common ground between himself and Benedict.Politi said that within the church, “there’s a sense of relief, because this silent contrast between two figures and two visions of the church is now over.
For traditionalists, Benedict became a symbol of opposition. Conservative figures in the church would seek audiences with him. Far-right politicians would quote him — or John Paul II — instead of Francis.The Two Popes ,” which imagined the two verbally sparring, and ultimately enjoying one another, in a period before Benedict’s abdication.
In real life, Benedict showed deference to Francis and said there was only one authority figure at the top. Francis, in turn, regularly touted Benedict’s spirit and “intellectual insight.” After ceremonies to induct new cardinals, Francis would routinely lead them to greet Benedict, who lived in a monastery tucked behind St. Peter’s Basilica.But it sometimes proved treacherous having a retired pope — particularly one who lived so close to Francis and who chose to continue dressing in white.
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