The coffin of the late Pope Emeritus is placed in its final resting place in the grottos of Basilica

The coffin of the late Pope Emeritus is placed in its final resting place in the grottos of Basilica

This is how the private ritual for the closing of Benedict XVI's coffin took place. The casket was closed on the evening of Jan. 4. A white veil was placed over the late pope's face. The action is part of the funeral rites for popes. Pope Benedict XVI has been laid to rest in the Vatican, in the same tomb where the remains of St. John Paul II were originally laid to rest.