Scroll in Benedict’s casket briefly summarizes his life and ministry
Pope Benedict XVI was a renowned theologian, a “recognized authority,” who left “a rich legacy of studies and research on the fundamental truths of the faith,” said the official summary of his life and papacy.
The 1,000-word text, known as a “rogito,” was rolled up, slipped into a metal cylinder and placed with his body in a cypress casket late Jan. 4 after an estimated 195,000 people had passed by his body in St. Peter’s Square to pay their respects.
The text, released in Latin and Italian shortly before the pope’s funeral Mass Jan. 5, highlighted his work as a theologian, his ecumenical outreach, his relations with the Jewish community and his efforts to deal with the clerical sexual abuse scandal.