Queen Sofía, at the funeral of Benedict XVI in the Vatican on the 85th birthday of Juan Carlos I

The Queen Sofia heads the official Spanish delegation at the funeral of Benedict XVI, which takes place this Thursday, January 5 in the Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican. The funeral mass is presided over by the Pope Francisco and officiated by the cardinal dean, Giovanni Battista Re. The pontiff is accompanied by more than 120 cardinals, 400 bishops and 3,700 priests. The King and Queen of Belgium have sat next to Doña Sofía, Philip and Matilde and the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni (top photo). It coincides that this Thursday the 5th the emeritus king, Juan Carlos I, celebrates his 85th birthday in his self-exile, in Abu Dhabi.

The mortal remains of the Pope emeritus were transferred on Monday the 2nd to San Pedro, in the Vatican, where the funeral chapel was installed. For three days, some 200,000 faithful of all nationalities have paraded through the Clementina room to bid him their last goodbye. Among the attendees was the mother of Felipe VIwhat Upon his arrival in Rome this Wednesday the 4th, he approached Joseph Ratzinger’s vigil. She was accompanied by the Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños.

The funeral follows the format step by step as if it were a pontiff reigning, just as the funeral of John Paul II was held in 2005. The arrival of some 70,000 people had been expected. More than a thousand journalists from more than 30 countries have been accredited to cover the historic ceremony that marks the end of a few years in which the two pontiffs, Francisco and Benedict, have lived together. Bottom photo, Doña Sofía, the King and Queen of Belgium, Giorgia Meloni and the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella.