50,000 mourners and the Pope bid Benedict farewell.

In order to preside over the burial of his predecessor, who resigned from the papacy in 2013, Pope Francis has joined pilgrims in St. Peter's Square.
As Pope Benedict XVI's body was taken out and positioned on the steps of St. Peter's cathedral in the Vatican, the dome was veiled in mist.
The believers who had gathered for the funeral applauded.
Benedict was then buried beneath the basilica in a tomb.
Cardinals in red robes, nuns, and monks in their dark robes were among the clergy from all over the world who had arrived.
In a wheelchair, Pope Francis was wheeled out onto the dais.
The Sistine Chapel choir's Latin songs resounded all over the area. The atmosphere was somber and reserved.
A teacher named Daniele told me the weather was appropriate for the occasion after he and the former pope had met in a church in Rome. Pope Benedict's enigma, the mystery of life and death, is symbolized by the fog.
Pope Francis talked of "knowledge, love and devotion that he showered upon us through the years" at the Mass, which was celebrated by cardinals, bishops, and priests.
He said, "Benedict, faithful friend of the Bridegroom, may your delight be perfect when you hear his voice, now and forever." He was speaking of Jesus.
Police estimate that 50,000 people attended the funeral. Italy and Germany, the country of the late Pope Benedict, both sent official delegations. The king and queen of Belgium attended in a private capacity, as did several heads of state.
With Benedict's passing, the extraordinary situation of a pope and a previous pope coexisting in the Vatican comes to an end. This position was made possible by Benedict's resignation almost ten years ago.
When his pontificate came to a conclusion in February 2013, I stood in St. Peter's Square and watched as he took off in a helicopter from the Vatican.
In comparison to funerals for a pope who is currently in office, his rites have been less elaborate.
Approximately 200,000 people visited the Vatican during the previous several days to pay their respects to the former pope, who was lying in state in front of St. Peter's Basilica's main altar.
I joined the lengthy queue of visitors and mourners waiting to see his body the day before the burial. He was wearing crimson and gold vestments and held a rosary in his waxy, white hands.
He was no longer the Pope when he passed away since there was no display of the customary papal regalia, such as the silver staff.
However, in accordance with custom, a lead tube carrying a history of Benedict's pontificate as well as other objects, such as Vatican coins struck at the time, were placed inside the coffin.
The choir sang "May the angels escort you into paradise" at the conclusion of the service. Before it was taken away to be sealed and placed in another coffin made of zinc and an outer one made of wood, Pope Francis laid his hand on the wooden coffin in a final prayer.
It was deposited in the same crypt beneath St. Peter's Basilica where Pope John Paul II's remains lay in repose until his beatification in 2005, when it was transferred to a chapel.




