Before the funeral Mass, there will be a rosary prayed in St. Peter’s Square. At 8:50 a.m. Central European Standard Time, Benedict’s coffin, which is currently lying in state in St. Peter’s Basilica, will be transported from the basilica for the funeral.
Pope Francis will preside over the funeral Mass.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told reporters that the funeral Mass for the pope emeritus “roughly follows that reserved for a supreme pontiff” but has some changes.
Bruni said that the Mass will include “some original elements, adaptations due to the particularity of the situation, and others missing that belong to the reigning pontiff.”
Some of the missing elements, Bruni said, include the “final supplication of the Diocese of Rome and of the Eastern Churches foreseen in the rites that close the funeral of the Ultima Commendatio (Final Commendation) and the Valedictio (Valediction).”
The Mass will be “different,” Bruni said, “not those foreseen by the Lectionary for the ritual Masses.”
The faithful can follow along with the prayers and readings that were released by the Vatican for the funeral Mass.
The readings for the Mass will be Isaiah 29:16–19 in Spanish; Psalm 23 sung in Latin; 1 Peter 1: 3–9 in English, and the Gospel of Luke 23: 39–46 read in Italian.
Two countries, Italy and Germany, will be sending official state delegations to attend the funeral. These two nations were the only two countries that were officially invited to send state delegations.
However, other heads of state, in an unofficial capacity, will be attending the funeral as well. This includes the president of Hungary, Katalin Novak; the president of Poland, Andrzej Duda; King Philip of Belgium; and Queen Sofia of Spain, among others.
