Photos: The funeral of former Pope Benedict XVI
Mourners at the Vatican pay their respects to former Pope Benedict XVI as he lies in state inside St. Peter's Basilica on Tuesday, January 3.
Antonio Calanni/AP

In pictures: The funeral of former Pope Benedict XVI

Updated 0045 GMT (0845 HKT) January 6, 2023

Mourners at the Vatican pay their respects to former Pope Benedict XVI as he lies in state inside St. Peter's Basilica on Tuesday, January 3.
Antonio Calanni/AP

Pope Francis paid tribute to his predecessor former Pope Benedict XVI Thursday, in a funeral attended by tens of thousands of mourners at St. Peter's Square.

Benedict died December 31 at the age of 95. He was elected Pope in 2005, and in 2013 he became the first pontiff in almost 600 years to resign his position.

Benedict was born Joseph Ratzinger in Germany in 1927. He was ordained as a priest in 1951, made a cardinal in 1977, and he later served as chief theological adviser to Pope John Paul II before eventually succeeding him.