Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s funeral service will be marked by full papal honours granted at the behest of Pope Francis, senior officials in the Vatican bureaucracy have suggested.
“It is clear that the Holy Father will ask that Benedict XVI’s funeral be like that of a pontiff still reigning from the throne of Peter,” Il Sismografo reported on December 29, as the Secretariat of State held meetings to discuss funeral arrange-ments.
“Obviously, the Holy Father has no other intention than — as Vicar of Christ, universal Shepherd of the Church, Bishop of Rome — to render the posthumous homage reserved for her eldest children,” the Vatican news aggregator explained.
Speculations over the pope emeritus’ funeral reached a fever pitch in Rome after the Holy See Press Office confirmed that “in the last few hours there has been an aggravation [in Benedict XVI’s condition] due to advancing age.”
“The pope emeritus managed to rest well last night, he is absolutely lucid and alert and today, although his condition remains serious, the situation is currently stable. Pope Francis renews his invitation to pray for him and to accompany him in these difficult hours,” the Holy See Press Office informed journalists in its latest update.
“The situation at the moment remains under control, constantly monitored by doctors,” Matteo Bruni, director of the press office, added. An insider said that Benedict XVI is suffering from aggravated kidney failure and had a recent modification to his pacemaker.
By December 29 morning, the pope emeritus’ condition was reported to have stabilized but was “gradually wearing out and fading away due to his advanced age,” even though he was not suffering from “any particular grave illness.” Benedict has not been able to speak but has remained “astonishingly lucid.”