Pope
Francis marked the Roman Catholic Church's traditional World Day of
Peace on Sunday but the start of the new year at the Vatican was
overshadowed by the death of his predecessor, Benedict.
Francis presided at a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica as the body of Benedict, who died on Saturday at the age of 95, was being prepared for three days of public viewing in the same church starting Monday.
On
Sunday the Vatican released the first images of the late Benedict,
showing him dressed in red and gold liturgical vestments and laying in
state in the chapel of the monastery where he died.
His
body will be moved privately to the basilica, unlike what followed the
death in 2005 of Pope John Paul, whose body was moved in a solemn
outdoor procession that was televised live around the world.
In accordance with Benedict's wishes, his funeral on Thursday
will be simple and solemn. It will be the first time in many centuries
that a sitting pope will preside at the funeral of his predecessor.
Benedict, who stepped down in 2013, had been the first pontiff in 600
years to resign.
Jan.
1 is also the feast of the Mother of God and in his homily, Francis
asked the Madonna to accompany "our beloved" Pope Emeritus Benedict "on
his passage from this world to God".
Benedict was also remembered in one of the prayers at the Mass.
In
his homily, Francis urged his listeners to work actively for peace, and
not "waste time glued to a keyboard in front of a computer screen" but
to "dirty our hands and to do some good".
Later
at his Sunday blessing in St. Peter's Square, Francis made another
appeal for an end to the conflict in Ukraine, saying it was "intolerable
contrast" with the theme of the day.
PRAISE, BUT ALSO CRITICISM FOR BENEDICT
On
Saturday night the Vatican released Benedict's two-page "spiritual
testimony" written in 2006, a year after his election as pope. There was
no explanation why Benedict did not update it as he became older and
more frail.
In
it, he asked in a general, spiritual way, that God would welcome him to
internal life "despite all my sins and insufficiencies".
Francis on Saturday called Benedict a noble, kind man who was a gift to the Church and the world.
While tributes to the former pope continued to be made by world leaders, and conservative members of the faithful, others were highly critical of his pontificate.
Some
recalled the severe discipline he meted out to progressive theologians,
particularly in Latin America, when he was head of the Vatican's
doctrinal department under Pope John Paul II. Those actions prompted
liberal Catholics to dub then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger "God's
Rottweiler".
And
while some have credited Benedict with taking important steps to
formalise the Vatican's response to clergy sexual abuse, victims groups
accused him of protecting the institution at all costs.
"In
our view, the death of Pope Benedict XVI is a reminder that, much like
John Paul II, Benedict was more concerned about the Church’s
deteriorating image and financial flow to the hierarchy versus grasping
the concept of true apologies followed by true amends to victims of
abuse," the anti-abuse group SNAP said.
Like
many Vatican officials who worked with Benedict, Canadian Cardinal Marc
Ouellet said he believed the German pontiff had left behind "a great
legacy" as a man of God and a man of culture.
"I
believe this is also a task for the future, to deeply rethink the
Christian faith in the face of the challenges of our time," Ouellet told
Reuters.