Funeral of Benedict XVI | A very modest enthusiasm

Even if more than 60,000 people had already paraded in front of the body of the late Pope Benedict XVI only for the day of Monday, many note that this funeral is already different from the previous ones.

“People ask us for objects with the effigy of John Paul II, but much less of Pope Benedict XVI,” notes Raffaella Cinà, an employee of a religious souvenir store, next to the Vatican.

“It’s another feeling,” said the one who remembers the funeral of John Paul II, which had attracted a million people to the Vatican in 2005.

Still, his store prepared quickly after news broke of Pope Benedict XVI’s death on Saturday. At the entrance, a stand specifically dedicated to the late pope has been set up. Rosaries, key rings, stamps, several items bearing the image of Benedict XVI are offered there, but few of the faithful buy them.

“The most popular pope in recent years remains John Paul II. He was close to the people, whereas Benedict XVI was not really a warm pope,” said Raffaella Cinà, hoping that Thursday’s funeral will draw more people to St. Peter’s Square.

A different atmosphere

“The popularity has a lot to do with it,” Mountain Butorac also believes, when asked if there are any differences with the 2005 funeral. At that time, this very religious American was still living in Atlanta and had decided to take a flight immediately to the Vatican.

“To see the remains of John Paul II, some of the faithful waited more than seven hours and could not access them,” he recalls, explaining that he had to sleep in the street all night to be sure. to attend the funeral.

He thinks that Thursday’s will be very different from what he has known. “These funerals will attract people, but only like during the Easter mass, for example. It’s hard to say, but a lot of people have forgotten about it. His death was therefore not really a shock, ”explains the man who has been organizing pilgrimages for almost 20 years.

The historic renunciation of Benedict XVI in 2013 could be one of the reasons for this lack of enthusiasm, thinks Father Christopher Pearson, who came specifically from the United Kingdom for the funeral.

“The atmosphere is strange at the moment. There are many tourists. I was walking this morning and asking them if he knew what was going on. Some know it, some don’t. »

Still, he believes Benedict XVI’s legacy is not only reflected in the number of faithful present at the Vatican for his funeral, but also in the actions the pope has taken in the past, such as opening the Church Catholic to Anglicans. “Sometimes people ask me how I became a Catholic. I tell them it’s because Benedict XVI invited us,” explains the man who was baptized in an Anglican Church.

A last goodbye

Herbert Hofauer knew Benedict XVI well. But it was rather under the name of Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger that he met him more than 40 years ago. Former mayor of Altötting, a small German village located near the birthplace of Benedict XVI, he used to come back to Rome to see him every year. But last year’s visit was different.

“When I left him, he said to me: ‘We will see each other again in another world’, he recalls, still moved. He spoke weakly, he wasn’t able to get up and sit down in his chair, but his mind was still very much alive. You could see he was already thinking of God, of heaven. »

He too is of the opinion that the renunciation of Benedict XVI may have had an effect on his image and his popularity. “I think it’s natural, he gave up almost 10 years ago”, recalling all the same that John Paul II was pope for a much longer period.

Herbert Hofauer came with a German delegation of about ten people, to attend Thursday’s funeral. He expects a simple ceremony, like Benedict XVI, but full of emotions. “This will be our last meeting on earth. »