Church: photos of the body of Benedict XVI. released

After the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the Holy See published the first photos of his body.

Church: photos of the body of Benedict XVI. released

After the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the Holy See published the first photos of his body. In the pictures from the chapel of the Vatican monastery Mater Ecclesiae he can be seen with a red liturgical robe and a traditional headgear, a miter.

Joseph Ratzinger - Benedikt's real name - holds a rosary in his clasped hands. Next to him in front of the altar of the chapel are a decorated Christmas tree and a nativity scene, as can be seen in the photos.

Laying out in St. Peter's Basilica on Monday

On Monday he is to be laid out for the public in St. Peter's Basilica. From 9 a.m., people can say goodbye to the Bavarian-born pontiff. The funeral service in St. Peter's Square and then the burial in St. Peter's Basilica are planned for Thursday. In his speeches on Sunday and via Twitter, his successor Pope Francis mentioned him and called him a "faithful servant" of the Church.

Joseph Ratzinger died at the Vatican on Saturday morning at the age of 95. Last Wednesday it became known that his health had deteriorated when the incumbent Pope Francis called on the faithful to pray for Benedict.

Benedict XVI was the head of the Catholic Church from 2005 to 2013 before causing a sensation with his resignation. He then lived in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery in the Vatican Gardens.

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