Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/VATICAN. Scores of people were expected to pay their final respects to former Pope Benedict XVI as his lying in state will begin at the Vatican later.
Pope Benedict, who stood down because of his poor health almost a decade ago died on New Year’s Eve at 95.
Pope Benedict’s final rites
Current Pope Francis would preside over Thursday’s final funeral, the first time a Catholic Pope would be buried by his successor.
The Vatican in a statement, said that the final service would be simple, solemn and sober, according to the BBC.
Benedict XVI became the first Pope in the Catholic papacy to resign in 600 years in 2013, citing ailing health.
His body would be displayed for public view for three days in an open casket at Saint Peter’s Basilica, with faithful mourners allowed to pay their respects until 7pm each evening.
The funeral will occur in St Peter’s Square before Pope Emeritus was laid to rest in the tombs beneath the Basilica.
The Vatican released pictures of the body of Pope Benedict on Sunday, as the late Pope dressed in red papal mourning robes and wearing a gold-trimmed mitre.
Tributes have started pouring in from around the world, and the funeral was expected to draw crowds of thousands.
in 2005, the funeral of Pope John Paul II was one of the largest Christian gatherings in Catholic history, which drew an estimated four million people to Rome.
The late Benedict had asked that his funeral should be marked by simplicity, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told journalists earlier.
Details of the guest list from around the world have not been released, but the Vatican said earlier that it would include delegations from Italy and Germany, which is Benedict’s native country.
Pope Francis paid rich tribute to his predecessor after his death on Saturday.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden lauded the former Pope’s “lifetime of devotion to the Church” and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hailed the late Pope as “a great man whom history will not forget”.
