Concelebrating the funeral Mass of Pope Benedict

Friday, Jan. 13, 2023

Fr. Martin Diaz

Special to the Intermountain Catholic

ROME — I was fortunate enough to concelebrate the funeral Mass of Pope Benedict XVI as I was already in Rome on a pilgrimage/tour with The Madeleine Choir School. 

Pope Francis presided at the funeral, which was concelebrated by numerous cardinals, bishops and priests, assisted by many deacons. Attending were 50,000 laity, with the Sistine Chapel Choir leading the music. 

Despite all that grandeur, the Mass was simply a Catholic funeral Mass for one who was marked with the sign of faith. My seat in the front row of a section of priests gave me a good view of the altar and the casket. It seemed like we were praying for our father or grandfather who had passed away. I found myself tearing up as I looked at the casket during Mass. 

I have been to many a priest’s funeral, and like those times, there in St. Peter’s Square I was grateful and thankful to offer Mass for a man who had been so faithful to the vocation to which God called him. 

As is done in any Catholic funeral, the casket was brought out in front of the altar before Mass began. Half an hour before the Mass, the rosary was prayed in Latin by the people gathered in St. Peter’s Square. Pope Francis came out from the Basilica of St. Peter in a wheelchair. They brought him to his chair in front of the altar, where he vested in stole, cope and miter.

These days, because he has difficulty standing, Pope Francis presides at Mass but does not stand at the altar. A cardinal leads the Mass from the Eucharistic prayer to Communion. At the funeral Mass, Pope Francis led the prayers of final commendation while the cardinal blessed the body with holy water and incense. 

The coffin was carried back into the basilica. Although I could see it only on the Jumbotron screen, the pallbearers stopped in front of Pope Francis, who touched the coffin and gave his blessing. 

The simplicity of the Mass made for an awesome moment. Awesome means for me to be in the presence of God. For me awesome is to look into the star-filled sky or face a snow-covered mountain, knowing that God is greater than all we can ask or imagine. I am thankful to have been in the presence of holiness both in Pope Benedict and Pope Francis.