EXPLAINER: Benedict’s funeral to be simple, but with pomp

By FRANCES D’EMILIO
Associated Press

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI held one of the world’s highest-profile positions but in his final years expressed a desire to be “hidden to the world.” His funeral Thursday will respect his wishes for simplicity but also feature some of the pomp reserved for a leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Some rites will be private while other forms of tradition-laden ceremony will take place in St. Peter’s Square before tens of thousands of people. Benedict died Saturday in the monastery on the Vatican grounds where he had spent nearly all of his decade in retirement, his days mainly devoted to prayer and reflection.