Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI will, on January 5, be laid to rest in the Vatican tomb, in the same spot where predecessor Pope John Paul II was placed before his beatification—the step right before sainthood, during which the Church proclaims that the person is in heaven and able to plead to God on one’s behalf if one prays to him. The crypt lies under the Vatican City, at depths varying between 5–12 metres below Saint Peter’s Basilica. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni confirmed the site of Benedict’s grave on January 2, the day the former pope’s body laid in state at St. Peter’s Basilica. According to information from the Holy See, which is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome, Benedict’s coffin will be carried to the crypt under the central part of St. Peter’s Basilica for burial after his funeral mass on January 5. The tombs in the Vatican crypt are close to the remains of the Catholic Church’s first pope, St. Peter the Apostle. ALSO READ: Join hands in prayer for Pope Benedict - Cardinal Kambanda St. John Paul II’s tomb was in the crypt from the date of his funeral April 8, 2005, until April 29, 2011, when his casket was moved to the upper part of St. Peter’s Basilica a few days before his beatification ceremony. St. John XXIII was also previously buried in the same place, which is fewer than 100 feet from the tomb of St. Peter the Apostle. The area is on the north side of the central part of the Vatican crypt. On the wall above the spot, there is an image of the Virgin Mary and the child Jesus flanked by angels. The funeral mass will take place at 9:30 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square. Attendance is free and requires no reservation. At the end of the mass, there will be the final commendation and valediction— a formal speech—before Benedict’s coffin is carried to the Vatican crypt for burial. The Vatican is yet to release details of the guest list, beyond saying that it will include delegations from Italy and Benedict's native Germany, but that Benedict’s funeral will be “solemn but simple”, reports say. Benedict XVI, who in 2013 became the first pope in 600 years to resign, died on December 31 at the age of 95 in a secluded monastery in the Vatican where he lived since stepping down.
