Pope Benedict XVI’s funeral announced by Vatican as mourners set to pay respects

Pope Francis will celebrate the funeral for Benedict in St. Peter’s Square, according to the Vatican, an unprecedented event for the current pope.

The death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on Saturday at 95 did not come as a surprise. Pope Francis asked for prayers for Benedict's health during an audience Wednesday, and said Benedict was "very sick."

Benedict retired in 2013, citing age and poor health, making him the first pope to do so since the 1400s, as they typically serve until death.

Benedict officiated at the funeral of Pope John Paul II, the last pope to die, in 2005. An estimated crowd of 300,000 people went to St. Peter's Square in Vatican City, and millions of others watched on large television screens in public squares around Rome.

» Subscribe to USA TODAY:
» USA TODAY delivers current local and national news, sports, entertainment, finance, technology, and more through award-winning journalism, photos, videos and VR.

#popebenedict #vatican #catholicchurch #usatoday

17 comments

  1. Hey Everyone life is precious please take this moment and receive God in your life pray to God everyday for his help in life situations, read the holy bible everyday, believe in God more than you believe in anything else, Trust God more than you trust anyone else, praise God more than you praise anything else, love God more than you love anything else and remember with God help all good things are possible all you have to do is never give up also a great place for you to start in the holy Bible is (Psalms 1) and everyday after that read a chapter in Psalms till you finish all the chapters in Psalms then after that start on (Proverbs 1) then everyday after that read a chapter in Proverbs till you finish all the chapters in Proverbs and after that read every chapter of the Holy Bible until you finish it for it will change your life in the most amazing way

  2. We have to acknowledge that we gonna die one day and accept JESUS CHRIST before it’s too late!
    JESUS SAID THAT HELL IS A PLACE OF WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH, WHERE THE WORM NEVER DIES AND WHERE THE FIRE IS NEVER QUENCHED AND ETERNAL PUNISHMENT AND OUTER DARKNESS, AND THE ONLY WAY TO ESCAPE IT IS TO REPENT OF YOUR SINS AND HAVE HIM (CHRIST JESUS) AS YOUR LORD…..For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13

    1. Right on, brother! I preach and warn people of this wicked catholic church. Let’s keep defending the faith! I preach on witchcraft and the catholic church is a spell from hell.

  3. 🛑 Stop having kids folks!! There’s no reason to create a child that’s for the child’s sake. For the potential child, birth doesn’t solve any problem that it doesn’t first create. All positives in life such as happiness, good food, and love are based on fulfilling needs, which get created by birth. Besides, it’s morally wrong to inflict serious, preventable harms upon our unborn children without their consent…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.