To the sound of tolling bells, 12 pallbearers carried the wooden coffin of Pope Benedict out of St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday and placed it before thousands of faithful gathered in the square for his funeral. Applause broke out across the vast, cobbled esplanade, which was shrouded in mist, in a sign of respect for Benedict, a hero to Roman Catholic conservatives who shocked the world by resigning nearly a decade ago.
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