The funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI took place today, 5 January, in St Peter’s Square. The ceremony was presided over by Pope Francis and was attended by thousands of faithful.

At the exequial Mass for Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis began his homily by recalling the last words of Jesus Christ, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit,” and ended the same way. “We want to say together: ‘Father, into your hands we surrender our spirit’,” he mentioned.

After the Holy Father’s homily, there was a moment of silence and the faithful could pray for the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. In addition to the silence, there were also demonstrations of admiration and homage to Benedict XVI.

In the biographical note that accompanies his grave, the legacy left by Benedict XVI is recalled, who “placed the theme of God and faith at the centre of his pontificate, in the continuous search for the face of the Lord Jesus Christ and to help everyone to know him”, an aspect also emphasised by Pope Francis in his homily.

In his spiritual testament, Pope Benedict thanked God “who has given me life and guided me through various moments of confusion. In addition, he also left an appeal to all the faithful, to “stand firm in the faith! Do not allow yourselves to be confused!”. “Jesus Christ is truly the way, the truth and the life – and the Church, with all its shortcomings, is truly His body,” he further added.

As Vatican News reported, Benedict XVI’s last words were “Lord, I love you!”, these having been “heard in the middle of the night by an orderly. It was about 3 a.m. on December 31, a few hours before his death,” the Pope’s personal secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, revealed in an interview.

Over the past few days, Benedict XVI’s body has been in St Peter’s Basilica, where more than 200,000 people have paid their last respects. The body of Pope emeritus Benedict XVI was mourned with the same chasuble he wore during World Youth Day Sydney 2008 (find out more here).

During the last week, Masses of suffrage for Benedict XVI were celebrated in several dioceses of Portugal. The Mass in Lisbon was presided by Archbishop Manuel Clemente, Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon, in the Cathedral. A Eucharistic celebration was also held in the dioceses of Angra, Algarve and Évora for the late Pope Emeritus.

The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, decreed today, January 5, as a day of national mourning, as announced by the Presidency of the Republic on its website.