The Catholic Church conducted a unique ceremony that blended centuries-old funeral rites with newly-created adaptations as it bid farewell to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died Saturday at the age of 95.
Unprecedented funeral for the 'pope emeritus'
On Thursday, every public reference to Benedict was as “pope emeritus” , and some prayers were broadened to reflect the fact that Benedict was not the sitting pope when he died. The most obvious change was that Francis became the first sitting pope to preside over the funeral of his predecessor.How Benedict's death may affect the church
Ansaldo mentioned Archbishop Carlo Viganò, the Vatican’s former nuncio to the U.S.; Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke of Wisconsin; Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; and Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, as church figures who make take on a more high-visibility role in Benedict’s absence. All have been critics of Francis’ papacy.
“He was a servant of God, which is all any of us can aspire to be,” said Mark Timothy Anderson, a Philadelphia native and school administrator in Rome on holiday with his family.
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