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If there is one thing more unusual than a pope emeritus, a rather rare phenomenon in history, it is the burial of a pope emeritus in the heart of rome. Throughout the history of the Catholic Church there have been seven popes who resigned, but the forcible circumstances of their retirements made it impossible for the pontiffs to be buried as befits the heir to Saint Peter or for a specific protocol to be developed. However, the resignation of Benedict XVI (2005 to 2013) was voluntary and integrated within the Church.
This unprecedented situation has forced the Church to create on the fly the rituals, singularities and protocols that should guide the farewell of a pontiff that he did not practice as such, but he had not strayed from his faith or been forced to leave office.
The first sample of what the funeral dedicated to the pope emeritus will be like, equal to that of his predecessor but at the same time very different, has been through the burning chamber of Benedict XVI, installed until Monday in his residence, the former Mater Ecclesiae monastery. » in the Vatican Gardens, where he lived his last years, and later in the Basilica of Saint Peter.
The absence of red shoes
Much has been discussed in the Roman Curia about the details of the funeral parlors and even about whether or not it was appropriate for him to wear the pontifical vestments, since some proposed dressing him as a bishop instead of as a Pope. Finally, the deceased has worn in this first act the red garments, identical to those of Juan Pablo, with a miter with golden edges. In his hands he has carried a rosary, also like his predecessor’s… but that’s as far as the similarities with other funerals. The differences that indicate, in a world marked by symbols, that he was no longer the titular Pope begin with the absence of the papal canopy on his shoulders and the staff of the “pastoral cross” that corresponded to him as pastor of the Church. The price of not being “regnant” is that he cannot display these symbols of power proper to the Church.
+ infoAnother important absence is that of the burgundy shoes, which in the case of Benedicto’s corpse wears simply black ones. The holy father german He was characterized during his time at the head of the Vatican for recovering many of the ancient Christian clothing, such as the cape (the cape that covers the shoulders) and, especially, those red shoes, which Innocent V also wore and on some occasion his predecessor, Juan Paul II. The red color obeys a tradition of the Byzantine Empire, where this hue represented power and only the emperor, the empress and the Pope were authorized to wear it on their clothing. In addition, for the Catholic Church it symbolizes the blood of the martyrs who gave their lives for Christ. Unlike Benedict, pope francis He decided from the beginning not to use red shoes and to opt for much more sober ones.
A non-reigning Pope
The mortal remains of the Pontiff are, in the photographs provided to the press, supported on a catafalque with a red velvet cloth. His head is supported by two pillows, unlike John Paul II, who was placed on a combination of three pillows when he died. This is due, apart from the importance of three for Christianity, because three are those that correspond to the triple papal crown, the famous tiara of the Pope. Since Benedict did not die being the ‘reigning Pope’ does not correspond to all three.
+ infoThe papal tiara, which was born in the shape of a conical Phrygian cap or phrygium, was in its medieval origins a ring of linen or gold cloth that evolved into a metal crown. By the 13th century, the crown became two in a statement that God’s representative was above kings and kingdoms. The third crown is attributed to the Avignon Papacy (1309-1378) and is explained with the triple authority of the pope as “universal pastor” (upper crown), “universal ecclesiastical judge” (middle crown) and “temporary ruler” (lower crown). Other interpretations, however, point to three because the Pontiff is “father of princes and kings, ruler of the world, vicar of Christ.”