Glimpses from Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's funeral ceremony at St Peter's Square at the Vatican City, January 5, 2023.
Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI, serving as head of the Catholic Church and the sovereign of the Vatican City State from April 19 2005 until his resignation, due to ill health, on February 28, 2013. He succeeded Pope John Paul II and was succeeded by the current Pope Francis.
Pope Emeritus Benedict died on December 31, 2022 aged 95 at the Mater Ecclesiae monastery in Vatican City.
Over 135,000 people paid their tributes on the first two days of the late pontiff's lying in state at St Peter's Basilica.
IMAGE: Pallbearers carry the coffin. Photograph: Vatican Media/Handout/Reuters
Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters
IMAGE: Cardinals arrive ahead of the funeral. Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters
IMAGE: Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, who served as Pope Benedict's secretary, follows the procession as cardinals take their position. Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters
IMAGE: The pallbearers carry the coffin over the catafalque. Photograph: Yara Nardi/Reuters
IMAGE: The pallbearers rest the coffin on the catafalque. Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters
IMAGE: The coffin rests in front of Pope Francis. Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters
IMAGE: Pope Francis presides over the funeral ceremonies. Photograph: Yara Nardi/Reuters
Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters
IMAGE: Archbishop Gaenswein kisses the Bible on top of the coffin. Photograph: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters
IMAGE: Pope Francis presides over the funeral mass. Photograph: Antonio Masiello/Getty Images
IMAGE: Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, blesses the coffin. Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters
IMAGE: Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella at the funeral. Photograph: Yara Nardi/Reuters
IMAGE: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union, at the funeral. Pope Benedict was born in Germany. Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters
IMAGE: Former queen Sofia of Spain, King Philippe of Belgium and Queen Mathilde of Belgium at the funeral. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
IMAGE: Members of the media gather on the day of the funeral. Photograph: Remo Casilli/Reuters
IMAGE: Members of a Bavarian group at St Peter's Square. Photograph: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters
IMAGE: Nuns read L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican's daily newspaper, at St Peter's Square. Photograph: Yara Nardi/Reuters
IMAGE: Faithful hold a banner that reads 'Saint now', during the funeral in St Peter's Square. Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
