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11:11 a.m. : The funeral of Benedict XVI is coming to an end. His wooden coffin left St. Peter’s Square to the applause of the faithful. The pope emeritus is now to be buried in the crypt where his predecessor John Paul II rested.
After his beatification, the remains of the latter were indeed moved inside the building, in a chapel next to the famous Pietà by Michelangelo.
(ALBERTO PIZZOLI / AFP)
10:24 a.m. : In his homily, Pope Francis pays homage to his predecessor. “It is the faithful people of God who, gathered together, accompany and entrust the life of him who has been their pastor. Like the women of the Gospel at the sepulchre, we are here with the perfume of gratitude and the ointment of hope to demonstrate to him, once again, the love that is not lost.”
(TIZIANA FABI / AFP)
10:29 : The simple wooden coffin of the former pope was transferred a little before 9 am, under the applause mingled with the knell of the bells, from the interior of the basilica to the place. A copy of the Gospels has been placed on his coffin which sits in front of the altar where Pope Francis will take his place to preside over the ceremony.
09:24 : The Funeral Mass of Pope-emeritus, Benedict XVI will begin shortly in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City. #BenedictXVI #Funeral @Pontifex https://t.co/mLjL8cwn1h
09:33 : A few minutes before the start of the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, a glimpse of the assembly present in Saint Peter’s Square. The prefecture of Rome foresees the arrival of 100,000 people. Watch live video here.
09:31 : At 9 am, here is a first point on the news of the day:
The Minister of Health, François Braun, says to himself “ready to increase the price of the consultation as soon as the needs of the French are met” but does not specify an amount. An announcement made while liberal doctors are demonstrating this afternoon in Paris.
It is this morning at 10 a.m. that Eric Dupond-Moretti presents his action plan for justice. The Keeper of the Seals will in particular undertake to increase the Justice budget from 9.6 to 11 billion euros in 2027.
The funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI begins at 9:30 a.m. in Saint Peter’s Square. Gérald Darmanin represents France as Minister of Worship. You can follow the ceremony in this live.
Volodymyr Zelensky has “thanked” Emmanuel Macron for the delivery of light combat tanks to Ukraine “Your leadership brings us closer to victory” he rejoiced on Twitter.
#AMAZON Amazon will remove “just over 18,000” jobs, including in Europe. This is the most massive staff reduction in the history of the American e-commerce giant. These layoffs will mainly affect the company’s physical stores, which include Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go, as well as certain internal departments, such as human resources.
08:35 : As the dome of the basilica disappears in the mist, the faithful, cardinals, official guests slowly arrive in Saint Peter’s Square at the #Vatican for the funeral of Pope Emeritus #BenoitXVI presided over by his successor Francis. The coffin will be taken out before mass at 8:50 a.m. https://t.co/IAQgj4mu4C
08:34 : the Vatican make the final preparations one hour before the funeral of Benedict XVI. With a surprise guest: mist.
08:59 : Gérald Darmanin will be present, @Tom42. The Minister of the Interior is also that of worship, and it is in this capacity that he is making the trip to the Vatican this morning.
At least six French bishops are also expected, including that of Pontoise, Stanislas Lalanne, who knew Benedict XVI well: “He had a very fine sense of humor,” he confides in The Parisian (article for subscribers).
09:00 : Who will represent France at the funeral of Pope Benedict XVI?
07:18 : #BenoitXVI Several hundred people are already waiting to return to St. Peter’s Square for the funeral mass of the #pope emeritus at 9:30 a.m. #Vatican #BenedettoXVI https://t.co/7LzQApprL1
07:17 : The funeral of Benedict XVI begins in more than two hours but the first faithful have already arrived in St. Peter’s Square.
07:27 : At 6 o’clock, here is a first point on the news of the day:
After two days of discussions with the Prime Minister, the unions still seem unconvinced by the pension reform project. The general secretary of the CGT, Philippe Martinez, denounced the “dogmatic position” of the government. “Listening to Ms. Borne, there is no more suspense, it will be 64 years old and she will not move”, for his part estimated the president of the CFTC, Cyril Chabanier, who “will fight this reform”.
#RETIREES The Minister of Labour, Olivier Dussopt, estimated in an interview with the Parisian to have “responded to requests” reformist unions, in particular the CFDT and the CFTC, in terms of hardship.
It is this morning at 10 a.m. that Eric Dupond-Moretti presents his action plan for justice. The measures come from the Estates General of Justice, which had drawn up the report of a “advanced decay” of the institution and a “loss of meaning” professionals.
France will deliver AMX-10 RC light battle tanks to Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron told Volodymyr Zelensky.
Tens of thousands of people are expected this morning in Saint Peter’s Square for the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Ceremony, “solemn but sober”is scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m.