Applause for Benedict at ex-Pope's Vatican funeral

1. Pope Francis has given the Homily for the late Pope Benedict XVI at his funeral in St Peter's Square, Vatican City
2. Around 50,000 mourners gathered for the Mass, according to the Vatican
3. It is unprecedented in modern times for a living Pope to bury his predecessor
4. Benedict will be buried in a crypt beneath St Peter's Basilica that holds the tombs of more than ninety of his predecessors
5. He died on Saturday aged 95 after many years of illness
6. In 2013 he became the first Pope to resign in 600 years, citing old age
7. Pope Benedict, while hailed as a formative figure of the Catholic Church, was also controversial

Thank you for reading

And that's it for our live coverage of Pope Benedict's funeral.

The service will be remembered for being the first in living memory to be presided over by a sitting Pope.

We've heard from those who came to pay their respects to the former Pope, but we've also learned that his legacy is a mixed one for the Catholic Church.

And there's also speculation now that his passing may mean the current Pope, Francis, could consider following in his predecessor's footsteps and retire. Although there is no suggestion such a move is imminent.

You can read our correspondent Bethany Bell's full write-up of the former Pope's funeral here.

Our live page was edited by Rob Corp and written by Anna Boyd, Aoife Walsh and Andre Rhoden-Paul.

Thank you for joining us.

Pope Benedict's funeral - what you may have missed

EPA

We'll soon be finishing our live reporting of the funeral Mass in the Vatican for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died last Saturday at the age of 95.

Benedict led the Catholic Church for fewer than eight years until he announced his retirement due to ill health in 2013 - becoming the first Pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415.

Pope Francis led Catholics in marking the passing of their former leader.

• Around 50,000 people, including clergy and heads of state, gathered for the Mass, according to the Vatican
• The ceremony was unprecedented in modern times for a living pope to bury his predecessor
• Applause broke out as Benedict's coffin was taken back into St Peter's Basilica for a private burial in the crypt underneath the historic building

WATCH: Pope Francis gives predecessor final blessing

Pope Francis gives Benedict final blessing

Pope Francis blesses the late Pope Benedict XVI at his funeral in St Peter's Square, Vatican City as his coffin is carried away from the public requiem mass for a private burial.

Benedict admitted errors in handling of child abuse cases

PA Media

Pope Benedict’s papacy was marked by a scandal involving child sexual abuse by priests.

Two reports in 2009 detailed the extent of paedophilia and cover-ups within the Irish Church - and it later emerged that almost 400 priests had been defrocked (had their clerical status removed) by Benedict in 2011 and 2012.

Last year, Benedict acknowledged that errors were made in the handling of sexual abuse cases while he was archbishop of Munich from 1977 to 1982.

In a letter released by the Vatican, the former pontiff asked for forgiveness for any "grievous fault" but denied personal wrongdoing.

A German report alleged that Pope Benedict, then called Joseph Ratzinger, failed to act over four child sex abuse cases.

The report by a German law firm alleged that abuse continued under his tenure, and that the priests accused of carrying out the abuse remained active in church roles.

In his first personal response to the report, Pope Benedict wrote: "I have had great responsibilities in the Catholic Church. All the greater is my pain for the abuses and the errors that occurred in those different places during the time of my mandate."

Read more here.

We owe Pope Benedict XVI so much, says Vatican mourner

EPA

About 50,000 mourners crowded into St Peter's Square to witness Benedict XVI's funeral, according to police estimates.

Cristina Grisanti, from Milan, hailed the former Pope's "purity, his candour, his mildness".

She added: "Benedict is a bit like my father, so I had to pay homage to him."

Benedikt Rothweiler came from Germany with his family to attend the Mass.

"We owe him so much. We want to show that we stand behind him.

"We actually know too little about Benedict. He always accepted everything the way God wants it.

"This is a good example for us humans."

What happened to Pope Benedict after he retired?

Getty Images

The Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, inside the Vatican Gardens, where Pope Benedict XVI retired after his resignation in February 2013.

The burdens of papal office took their toll on a man who was already suffering from ill health prior to his election as Pope in 2005. It turns out he had been fitted with a heart pacemaker the same year.

In an announcement made without any warning on 11 February 2013, Pope Benedict told his cardinals he would leave office due to his advancing years and continued ill health.

He went on to retire to the Mater Ecclesiae monastery located within the Vatican Gardens, where he chose to retain his papal name but preferred to be known as “Father Benedict”.

He caused controversy in April 2019 when he blamed clerical sexual abuse - the scandal he had tried to tackle as a cardinal - on "the all-out" sexual freedom of the 1960s and the consequent rejection of God's teaching.

Three years later, a report commissioned by the Catholic Church accused Benedict of having failed to act to prevent instances of child abuse while archbishop of Munich in the 1970s. The former Pope denied the claims.

Benedict's death could mean Pope Francis will retire

Reuters

Pope Francis "is more likely to step down now that Benedict has died", a Vatican journalist has suggested.

Christopher Lamb, of Catholic magazine The Tablet, says that does not necessarily mean the 86-year-old pontiff will step down in the short-term.

Pope Benedict was the first Pope in 600 years to resign from office when he said that poor health meant he could not continue.

Lamb says Pope Francis "really got his foot on the accelerator" in terms of reform.

"It's not clear how much time he has left so he will want to speed things up in the coming months," he says.

He also believes there is friction between the current Pope and the conservative wing of the Catholic Church.

He adds: "I think we are going to be in for a turbulent time in the Church in the coming years because clearly there is a battle for the soul of the Church going on and there are different visions and different emphases."

Benedict XVI was whip-smart, says BBC's Ed Stourton

Reuters

BBC Radio 4 presenter Ed Stourton has been speaking about his memories of Benedict XVI.

Recalling an interview in the 1990s, before Benedict became Pope, Stourton said he went in "expecting an absolutely sort of fearsome opponent in the interview, but he couldn't have been more charming and warm, and slightly giggly, which was very disarming".

He went on to say that Benedict XVI was also "formidably clever with a mind that was truly sort of whip-smart".

What was Benedict’s life like before becoming Pope?

AFP

The Ratzinger family with Joseph (top right)

Joseph Ratzinger was the eighth German to become Pope - he spoke many languages and had a fondness for Mozart and Beethoven.

He was born into a traditional Bavarian farming family in 1927, although his father was a policeman.

At the age of 14, he joined the Hitler Youth - as was required of all young Germans of the time. World War Two saw his studies at Traunstein seminary interrupted when he was drafted into an anti-aircraft unit in Munich.

He deserted the German army towards the end of the war and was briefly held as a prisoner of war by the Allies in 1945.

Benedict's conservative, traditionalist views were intensified by his experiences during the liberal 1960s.

He taught at the University of Bonn from 1959, and in 1966 took a chair in dogmatic theology at the University of Tuebingen before moving to Regensburg University in 1969 in his native Bavaria.

Benedict then went on to become Regensburg's dean and vice-president. In 1977, he was named Cardinal of Munich by Pope Paul VI and, at the age of 78, Joseph Ratzinger was the oldest cardinal to become Pope since Clement XII was elected in 1730.

You can read more about his early years here.

A rooftop view of the Mass

Our reporter Harry Farley is in the Vatican for today's funeral.

As he reported earlier on this page - the BBC team secured a rooftop vantage point to witness events unfold in St Peter's Square - and has sent this picture to show what he could see.

BBC

What happened at Pope Benedict's funeral Mass?

Reuters

Mourners are now leaving St Peter's Square as today's events move on to a private service and the burial.

Here's what's been happening this morning at the Vatican.

• The dome of St Peter's Basilica was shrouded in mist as the coffin of former Pope Benedict was brought out and placed on the steps facing St Peter’s Square
• There was applause from the faithful who had gathered for the funeral
• Pope Francis, who presided over the service, was brought out onto the dias in a wheelchair. He prayed for the soul of his predecessor
• The service was attended by clergy from around the world with cardinals in red vestments, nuns and monks in their dark robes
• At the end of the service incense was waved over the coffin, as the choir sang may the angels lead you into paradise

'Pope Benedict was timid, shy and restrained'

Getty Images

Thomas recalls covering Pope Benedict's visit to the White House, where he met George W Bush

We've been hearing from Tricia Thomas, Vatican correspondent for US news agency the Associated Press, who has been speaking about her experiences of covering Pope Benedict's papacy.

Thomas says Benedict was timid, shy and "much more restrained with the press, as was with everything else in his life" compared to Pope Francis.

She recalls being with Pope Benedict when he visited then-US President George W Bush at the White House.

"It was his birthday, so they sang Happy Birthday to him and he was quite pleased with that," she says.

She also tells of a visit Pope Benedict made to Auschwitz, which she says was a "deeply felt moment".

"As he was speaking at Auschwitz, a rainbow came up over his head. It was just a very moving visual moment."

She says his death has opened up the opportunity for Pope Francis to retire.

"There is the monastery now within the Vatican walls that's empty, that could become a papal retirement home if needs be," she tells BBC News.

"Francis has said he would resign if he thought he couldn't do the job anymore."

Pallbearers move Pope Benedict's coffin

Reuters

Pallbearers have moved the cypress coffin of Pope Benedict back into St Peter's Basilica.

The Pope bowed his head to give a final blessing to the coffin on its way.

Applause broke out in the square with many visibly moved.

What happens now?

The public funeral Mass is drawing to a close ahead of the burial.

Benedict XVI’s body will now be returned to St Peter’s Basilica for a private service. Here it will be placed inside a zinc coffin before going into a larger wooden coffin.

Benedict will then be buried in a vast underground graveyard or crypt beneath the basilica, known as the Vatican Grottoes, which houses the tombs of several popes.

His remains will be placed in what used to be Pope John Paul II’s resting place before his body was moved after he was beatified in 2011

Reuters

Benedict XVI's funeral draws to a close

The funeral for Benedict XVI in the Vatican is nearing its end. As it comes to a close, the mourners hear this reading:

"Dear brothers and sisters, in celebrating the sacred mysteries we have opened our minds and hearts to joy-filled hope; with confidence we now offer our final farewell to Pope Emeritus Benedict and commend him to God, our merciful and loving Father.

May the God of our fathers, through Jesus Christ, his only Son, in the Holy Spirit, Lord and Giver of Life, deliver Pope Emeritus Benedict from death, that he may sing God’s praises in the heavenly Jerusalem in expectation of the resurrection of his mortal body on the last day.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of the Apostles and Salus Populi Romani, intercede before the Eternal Father, that he may reveal the face of Jesus his Son to Pope Emeritus Benedict and console the Church on her pilgrimage through history as she awaits the Lord’s return."

Communion prayers as Mass draws to a close

Communion ends with a prayer in Latin.

"Let us pray. As we receive sacred sustenance from your charity, O Lord, we pray that your servant Benedict, who was a faithful steward of your mysteries on earth, may praise your mercy for ever in the glory of the Saints. Through Christ our Lord."

Pope Francis now prays for his predecessor as the Mass draws to a close with the burning of incense and the blessing of water.

A smaller crowd than for previous papal funerals

Harry Farley

Reporting from St Peter's Square

EPA

It’s a cold, misty morning in Rome as thousands of priests, nuns and other delegates sit in St Peter’s Square for the three-hour funeral ceremony.

For the past few days many have told us of their admiration of the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, as a thinker and a theologian as around 200,000 queued to see his body lying in state.

But early this morning as we walked to our position on a roof high above St Peter’s Square, it’s clear this funeral is not on the same scale as the last papal funeral, of John Paul II, in 2005.

Then more than three million people came to Rome for the funeral, with 500,000 attending the ceremony and hundreds of thousands more watching on screens around the city.

The context now is different. Benedict was not a sitting Pope when he died, unlike his close friend John Paul II.

But Benedict was also not viewed with the same affection as his predecessor. He was a scholar and much admired for his writings. But Benedict lacked charisma and did not have the same rock star appeal of John Paul II and that is reflected in the smaller crowds in attendance here.

Congregation takes part in Communion

Dozens of priests have walked into St Peter's Square to help administer the Communion.

Mourners come up to the barriers to be given bread and wine - which Catholics believe become the actual flesh and blood of Jesus Christ.

Pope Francis says faithful have come together to show undying love

Reuters

Pope Francis in a moment of prayer during the funeral.

While communion is taking place we can bring you more of the Pope's words from his Homily for Benedict XVI.

Pope Francis used Jesus’ last words throughout the homily: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”.

He said that worshippers would wish to do the same for Benedict, saying: “Holding fast to the Lord’s last words and to the witness of his entire life, we too, as an ecclesial community, want to follow in his steps and to commend our brother into the hands of the Father.

“May those merciful hands find his lamp alight with the oil of the Gospel that he spread and testified to for his entire life.”

The Pope said that the crowds had come to entrust Benedict’s life to God, and to show undying love.

He finished by saying: “We want to do this with the same wisdom, tenderness and devotion that he bestowed upon us over the years.

“Together, we want to say: “Father, into your hands we commend his spirit”. Benedict, faithful friend of the Bridegroom, may your joy be complete as you hear his voice, now and forever.”

Bread and wine consecrated

The Communion Rite has just taken place.

Catholics say the ritual shows the togetherness of Christians and God.

The bread and wine is also consecrated.

Blessing the bread, in Catholic belief, turns it into the body of Christ.