Queen Sofia bids farewell to Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican

The emeritus traveled to Rome this Wednesday to attend the funeral of Pope Benedict XVI, who passed away on December 31 at the age of 95. Accompanied by the Minister of the Presidency, Felix Bolanoshave paid their respects in the funeral chapel that was installed in the Basilica of Saint Peter, in the Vaticanand which closes late this Wednesday.

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The Queen Sofia heads the Spanish delegation that has traveled to Rome for the funeral of the pope emeritus, this Thursday, which will also be attended by the ambassador of Spain to the Holy See, Isabel Celaá, and the archbishop of Barcelona and president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Cardinal Juan Jose Omella.

Funeral services will be conducted by Pope Francis. The ceremony will not be a State ceremony as it is not a “reigning” pontiff, although the act “will be solemn and sober,” according to the Vatican office. Authorities from different parts of the world will attend, with special importance from Germany, the birthplace of Benedict XVI. After the funeral, the body of the pope emeritus will be buried in the crypt of Saint Peter’s Basilica. The tomb was chosen by himself and is the same one that housed the remains of John Paul II, empty since his body was exposed on the surface of the temple in 2011.