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Prince Harry recounts drug-taking, sexual encounter in leaked memoir

Prince Harry says his brother William physically attacked him during a ferocious argument — one of many startling allegations in a new memoir that includes revelations about the estranged royal's drug-taking, first sexual encounter and role in killing people during his military service in Afghanistan.

In the ghostwritten memoir, titled Spare, Harry said that his brother Prince William lashed out during a furious argument over the siblings' deteriorating relationship.

The Associated Press purchased a Spanish-language copy of the book ahead of its publication in 16 languages around the world on Tuesday.

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Harry recounts a 2019 argument at his Kensington Palace home, in which he says William called Harry’s wife, the former actor Meghan Markle, “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive".

Harry said William grabbed his brother by the collar and ripped his necklace before knocking him down.

“I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me,” Harry says in the passage, first reported by The Guardian.

Harry says he had scrapes and bruises as a result of the tussle, for which William later apologised.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

The allegation is one of a slew in a book that exposes painful, intimate – and in some cases contested – details about the lives of Harry and other members of the royal family.

The memoir is the latest in a string of public revelations and accusations by Harry and Meghan that have shaken Britain’s royal family.

It includes Harry's assertion that he killed 25 people while serving as an Apache helicopter co-pilot and gunner in 2012 as part of Britain's military campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan.

He said he felt neither pride nor shame about his actions, and in the heat of battle regarded enemy combatants as pieces being removed from a chessboard.

READ MORE: Young Gold Coast helicopter crash survivor wakes from coma

Prince Harry

Harry spent a decade in the British Army – years he has described as his happiest because they allowed him a measure of normality – before taking up full-time royal duties in 2015.

The book recounts Harry's decades of disenchantment with his privileged, scrutinised and constrained royal life.

In it he alludes to the book’s title, recounting the alleged words of his father, then Prince Charles, to his mother, Princess Diana, on the day of his birth: “Wonderful! Now you’ve given me an heir and a spare — my work is done.”

While William was destined from birth to be king, Harry, who is fifth in line to the throne behind his brother and William’s three children, has often appeared to struggle with the more ambiguous role of “spare".

In the book, Harry describes his rebellious teenage years.

He recounts how he lost his virginity – to an older woman in a field behind a pub – and describes how he took cocaine when he was 17.

Neither Buckingham Palace, which represents King Charles III, nor William’s Kensington Palace office has commented on the allegations.

Harry, 38, and American actor Meghan Markle married at Windsor Castle in May 2018.

Less than two years later, the couple quit royal duties and moved to California, citing what they saw as the media’s racist treatment of Meghan, who is biracial, and a lack of support from the palace.

Since then, they have presented their side of the story in an interview with Oprah Winfrey and a six-part Netflix documentary released last month, which recounted the couple’s bruising relationship with the UK media and estrangement from the royal family.

READ MORE: Repatriated Islamic State bride charged with Syria incursion

Harry & Meghan

In the series, Harry said William screamed at him during a family meeting and accused palace officials of lying to protect his elder brother, who is now heir to the throne.

Meghan, 41, talked about wanting to end her life as she struggled to cope with toxic press coverage.

Harry has recorded interviews with several broadcasters in Britain and the United States to promote the book.

In snippets released in advance, Harry told Britain's ITV that the royal household had cast him and Meghan as “villains” and “shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile”.

In an interview with CBS, he said the palace’s refusal to defend him and Meghan from attacks was a "betrayal".

Palace officials have declined to comment on any of Meghan and Harry’s allegations.

Since Harry and Meghan split from the royal family in 2020, the couple has launched a new life as US-based charity campaigners and media personalities.

Harry has spoken about his desire for a reconciliation with his brother and father, who became King Charles III when Queen Elizabeth II died in September, aged 96.

The book's scorching revelations are likely to make that more difficult.

Asked by ITV's Tom Bradby whether he will play a part in the British monarchy's future, Harry said: “I don’t know".

Repatriated wife of IS fighter bailed after terror charge

A New South Wales woman who was repatriated to Australia from a Syrian refugee camp has been granted bail after being charged with entering and remaining in parts of Syria that were under Islamic State control.

Mariam Raad, 31, was arrested on Thursday in Young, in the state's south-west, where she had been living since being returned in October.

Australian Federal Police and NSW Police investigators from the NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team executed warrants at her home and a home in Parklea, in Sydney's north-west, where a relative lives.

READ MORE: Repatriated Islamic State bride charged with Syria incursion

She was charged with entering, or remaining in, "declared areas" – in this case Syria, which was under the control of the terrorist group IS – in breach of federal law.

She faces up to 10 years in jail if convicted.

Raad faced Griffith Local Court via an audio-visual link on Friday after being held in custody in Wagga.

She was granted bail on Friday and was forced to surrender her passport.

Among 12 bail conditions, she was banned from contacting anyone in prison or associated with a terrorist group, barred from viewing or distributing material on things including terrorism and related propaganda, and cannot attempt to acquire a firearm.

She's due to appear at Young Local Court on March 15.

READ MORE: Surviving roommate shares chilling detail of moments before Idaho student murders

Margaret Roles, the mayor of Hilltops Council, which oversees Young, said it wasn't known that Raad was in the community and declined to comment further as the matter is before the courts.

"We've been a diverse but inclusive community for a long time," Roles told AAP on Friday.

It will be alleged in court that Raad travelled to Syria in early 2014 to join her husband – Muhammad Zahab – who left Australia in 2013 and joined IS.

It will be further alleged Raad was aware of her husband's activities with IS and willingly travelled to the conflict region.

The husband, a former Sydney maths teacher who rose through the ranks of the terror outfit, is believed to have died in Syria in 2018.

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The woman was until last year living in the Al Roj Internally Displaced Persons camp in northern Syria, which has been under Kurdish control since the defeat of IS.

The investigation into the woman began when she was in Syria and continued after she returned.

The federal police commander tasked with monitoring terror risks said the joint counter-terrorism team would continue to investigate Australians returning from declared conflict areas.

"Individuals will be brought before the courts when evidence supports allegations that returned individuals have committed offences in conflict areas," Acting Assistant Commissioner Sandra Booth said on Thursday.

Raad was one of four women and 13 children repatriated from the Syrian camp to Sydney in October last year.

All of the women were married to IS fighters who are now dead or in jail.

The NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team comprises members of the AFP, NSW Police, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and the NSW Crime Commission.

'Un-Australian': Latest lamb ad takes aim at surprising new target

The lamb industry has pulled off an "un-Australian" U-turn after years of ads pushing the meat as the quintessential Aussie feed.

Meat and Livestock Australia's latest famous summer ad featuring Sam Kekovich pokes fun at dobbers, boasters, speed cameras and parking inspectors.

But its real target is something that seems to be everywhere: an insatiable appetite to label things "un-Australian".

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It's a bit of a departure from previous campaigns that drew complaints for lambasting vegans and particularly the original ad 15 years ago, a stump speech slamming the "creeping tide of un-Australianism eroding our great traditions".

Using a "cheat stick" to play pool? Un-Australian.

Eating a meat pie with cutlery? Un-Australian.

Charging $1 for sauce to put on said pie? Un-Australian.

Not knowing the words to the Cold Chisel classic Khe Sanh? Un-Australian.

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As noted by the ad's star — not Kekovich but a woman of colour pulling beers at the pub — "it's getting a little out of hand".

"There'll be no one left soon," she says.

In this alternate world, "Un-Australian" is not just "the worst thing you can ever call an Australian", but enough to make you disappear entirely.

"Where do they go?" a punter asks Ruby the bartender.

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"Oh just an infinite cultural exile from which they can never return," she replies, seconds before disappearing herself after accidentally switching the TV to a film with "un-Australian" subtitles.

Cut to said cultural exile.

It's dusty, hot and rapidly filling up with banished Aussies.

Even Kekovich, the very symbol of Aussie summer barbecues, is there.

"All I said was 'bon appetit'," the "lambassador" complains.

But the media figure has brought one important thing with him.

Surprise, it's lamb.

Cut back to Australia, where the struggling remains of humanity find out there's "a lamb barbecue happening in exile", and all it takes to get an invite is professing love for the All Blacks, declaring beetroot has no place on a burger or some other "un-Australian" sin.

"Looks like we're all a bit un-Australian," one exile says, teeing up a final chance to hammer home the main message.

"Guess that's what makes us Australian."

The ad debuted last night after research Meat and Livestock Australia said revealed 53 per cent of Australians believed the term "Un-Australian" had become overused to the point of confusion.

Despite, or perhaps because of, this, 45 per cent of survey respondents said they'd been hit with the label and 52 per cent said they'd used it to describe something.

MLA domestic market manager Graeme Yardy said use of the term was "out of control".

"Everything from how you eat your pie to having a wedding on grand final day is on the chopping block," he said, in a press release.

"Chances are you'll be viewed as 'un-Australian' by someone." 

'Great big thing': Children playing in hallway encounter dangerous spider

An ecologist and nature photographer has urged parents to be "vigilant" after a highly venomous funnel-web spider found its way inside his hallway, where his two young children were playing.

Lachlan Copeland, who lives in bushland near Coffs Harbour on the NSW Mid North Coast, was in the kitchen on New Year's Day when he heard his four-year-old daughter Lucy squeal in terror.

The 49-year-old instantly knew something was wrong and rushed to check on her and his three-year-old son Blake.

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Blake and Lucy were playing in the hallway when she saw the spider.

"I could tell it wasn't a normal yell, something had happened," Copeland told 9news.com.au.

"She has a thing about spiders, and sure enough when I got there she said, 'There is a big one.'

"I thought it would just be a huntsman, but I looked down and there was this great big thing on the ground flat.

"I could see what it was straight away."

Copeland assured his daughter everything would be ok and safely caught the arachnid, which was around five to six centimetres in length.

READ MORE: What to do if you encounter a deadly snake, spider or jellyfish

The Copelands live on a property "surrounded by bush", about 10 kilometers from Coffs Harbour.Lachlan Copeland, an ecologist and nature photographer, safely caught the funnel-web and released it into bushland near Coffs Harbour.

"It was a pretty full-on spider," he said, adding it was a male who was likely looking for a female to mate with.

"It was pretty chilled out though.

"It wasn't aggressive and didn't get into a threatening posture.

"(But) it is of course a highly venomous spider and serves as a reminder to be vigilant as to what might be crawling around your house and kids."

Copeland, a father of two, flipped the spider over to show the size of its fangs.

The animal lover relocated the spider into bushland – but not before snapping a few photos for formal identification. 

The spider has since been identified as Hadronyche macquariensis, or Port Macquarie funnel-web spider, which is one of a number of species of Australian funnel-webs.

Its cousin, the Sydney funnel-web, is Australia's most dangerous spider.

The encounter comes after the Australian Reptile Park warned funnel-web spider numbers could spike around Sydney and surrounds amid wet and humid weather.

The park also urged "responsible adults" to catch wandering Sydney funnel-webs safely, as donations are critical to the life-saving antivenom program.

According to the Australian Museum, up to 30 to 40 people are bitten each year by Sydney funnel-webs, with 13 deaths recorded from males of the species.

However, there has not been a single death since the introduction of the antivenom program in the early 1980s.

As for Lucy, she is still recovering from her close call.

"She was spooked because I made the mistake of showing it to her after I caught it," Copeland said.

"(But) I had to give them the lesson not to get too close to the animal."

Young Gold Coast helicopter crash survivor wakes from coma

There's been a glimmer of hope in the aftermath of the Gold Coast helicopter tragedy.

Leon De Silva, the nine-year-old boy from Geelong West, woke up from his induced coma on Thursday, moving from
a critical condition to stable condition at Queensland Children's Hospital.

Meanwhile, the surviving pilot Michael James and one of the women from New Zealand were both discharged from Gold Coast University Hospital in the past 24 hours.

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The woman's released from the hospital allows her party to now travel back home to their families in New Zealand.

Sadly, the 10-year-old boy from Sydney, Nick Tadros, remains in a very critical condition and is on life support at Gold Coast University Hospital.

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His mother Vanessa Tadros, 36, was among those who died at the scene. Nick's father asking for prayers and for supporters to rally behind the family at this very trying time.

Four people were killed when the two Sea World Helicopters crashed in front of shocked onlookers at the Broadwater on Monday afternoon.

On Thursday, a steady stream of people lay flowers and tributes at Broadwater Parklands for those who died in the accident.

The family of British couple Ron and Diane Hughes visited the makeshift memorial on Thursday to lay some flowers and read some of the kind words written by members of the community.

A vigil is planned for Sunday, January 15 with a local resident organising for a human chain to be formed around the Broadwater to honour and respect the victims and their families.

Aviation lawyers believe the investigation into the crash, which could take months, may pave the way for legal action by victims and their families.

Survivor's terrifying account of 'masked figure' at student slayings

One of the two roommates who survived the fatal November stabbings of four University of Idaho students told investigators she saw a masked man dressed in black in the house the morning of the attack.

The details were shared in a probable cause affidavit released yesterday in the prosecutors' case against suspect Bryan Kohberger.

The roommate, identified in the document as DM, said she "heard crying" in the house the morning of the murders and heard a male voice say, 'it's okay, I'm going to help you.'"

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Bryan Kohberger, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students, leaves after an extradition hearing at the Monroe County Courthouse in Stroudsburg, Pa., Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023.

DM said she then saw a "figure clad in black clothing and a mask that covered the person's mouth and nose walking towards her," the affidavit said.

"DM described the figure as 5' 10" or taller, male, not very muscular, but athletically built with bushy eyebrows," the affidavit said.

"The male walked past DM as she stood in a 'frozen shock phase.'"

"The male walked towards the back sliding glass door. DM locked herself in her room after seeing the male," the document said, adding the roommate did not recognise the male.

The release of the affidavit – which also said a DNA profile obtained from the trash at the Pennsylvania home of Kohberger's family matched DNA on a tan leather knife sheath found at the scene of the killings – comes as the 28-year-old suspect makes his first court appearance in Idaho, where he faces four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary.

Kohberger was booked into the Latah County, Idaho, jail Wednesday night after being extradited from his home state of Pennsylvania, where he was arrested last Friday, almost seven weeks after Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20, were found fatally stabbed in an off-campus home in the college town of Moscow, Idaho.

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University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Madison Mogen, 21, were found dead on November 13 in an off-campus home.

The affidavit addresses some questions authorities have so far left unanswered, namely some of the steps used to identify Kohberger as a suspect.

Authorities had been searching for a white Hyundai Elantra seen in the area of the killings, the affidavit notes, and soon after notified area law enforcement to look for such a vehicle.

Several days later, officers at nearby Washington State University, where the suspect was a PhD student in the criminal justice program, identified a white Elantra and subsequently found it was registered to Kohberger.

Kohberger's driver's licence information was consistent with the description the surviving roommate saw in the home at the time of the attack, the affidavit said, noting specifical his height and weight, 182cm and 83kg, and the fact he has bushy eyebrows.

At the time of his arrest last week, a white Elantra was found at Kohberger's parents' house in Pennsylvania, according to Monroe County Chief Public Defender Jason LaBar, who said Kohberger had gone home for the holidays.

READ MORE: Prince Harry alleges William physically attacked him during row

Officers investigate the deaths of four University of Idaho students at an apartment complex south of campus on Monday, November 14, 2022, in Moscow, Idaho.

Additionally, trash recovered from the home of Kohberger's family late last month was sent for DNA testing to the Idaho State Lab, the affidavit said.

The lab "reported that a DNA profile obtained from the trash" matched a tan leather knife sheath found "laying on the bed" of one of the victims.

Phone records also indicate Kohberger's phone was near the victims' residence at least 12 times between June 2022 to the present day, the document said. "All of these occasions, except for one, occurred in the late evening and early morning hours of their respective days."

A court order prohibits the prosecution and defence from commenting beyond referencing the public records of the case.

Prince Harry alleges William physically attacked him during row

Prince Harry has accused his brother, William, of physically assaulting him during an argument over his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex in 2019, according to The Guardian.

The UK newspaper claims to have seen an advance copy of Prince Harry's highly anticipated memoir, Spare, in which Harry, the Duke of Sussex, reportedly alleges William, the Prince of Wales, knocked him to the floor during the altercation.

The alleged scuffle took place after a conversation between the two brothers, during which William, the heir to the British throne, called Meghan "difficult," "rude" and "abrasive," according to The Guardian.

READ MORE: Thousands pour into St Peter's for funeral of Benedict XVI

Prince William, Prince of Wales, left and Prince Harry walk to meet members of the public at Windsor Castle, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday, in Windsor, England, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022.

The confrontation escalated until William "grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and … knocked me to the floor," The Guardian reported.

CNN has requested an advance copy of the book from publisher Penguin Random House. Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace and a spokesperson for the Sussexes declined CNN's request for comment on the alleged altercation.

The Guardian article focuses on the alleged physical altercation between the brothers but describes the entirety of the book as a "remarkable volume."

The article reports Harry's version of events, in which William arrives at Harry and Meghan's then home, Nottingham Cottage on Kensington Palace grounds, to allegedly discuss "'the whole rolling catastrophe' of their relationship and struggles with the press."

Harry alleges that William attacked him after he had offered him water and attempted to cool a heated verbal exchange, according to The Guardian.

Prince William and Prince Harry arrive at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial on April 9, 2017 in Vimy, France.

The article quotes Harry: "He set down the water, called me another name, then came at me. It all happened so fast. So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog's bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out."

The article says Harry states in the book that William urged him to hit back, but he refused to do so. William left but later returned "looking regretful" and apologised, according to The Guardian article, quoting the book.

Spare is due to be released on January 10.

Elsewhere in the report, Harry recalls returning to the UK for the first time since stepping back as a senior royal in April 2021 for the funeral of the Queen's husband, Prince Philip.

Prince Harry's memoir Spare high-res cover

The somber occasion was the first time the 38-year-old duke was reunited with his father, now King Charles III, and William since he and Meghan had spoken to Oprah Winfrey for their bombshell interview.

Harry's retelling suggests tensions with William remained high and quotes Charles pleading to his sons not to "make my final years a misery," according to The Guardian article.

The article also revealed the brothers refer to each other as "Willy" and "Harold" respectively.

Prince Harry is expected to reveal more detail about his ongoing rift with the royal family in two television interviews broadcast this Sunday. The duke conducted interviews with Anderson Cooper for CBS' 60 Minutes and Tom Bradby from British network ITV to discuss his upcoming memoir.

https://twitter.com/ITV/status/1610924191204708352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

In the latest preview clip of the ITV sit-down released Thursday, Harry says he "still believe[s] in the monarchy" but when asked if he anticipates playing a part in its future, he replies, "I don't know."

Harry also wouldn't be drawn on whether his family will return to the UK in May for his father's coronation.

"There's a lot that can happen between now and then," Harry says in the short clip. "But, the door is always open. The ball is in their court. There's a lot to be discussed and I really hope that they're willing to sit down and talk about it."

Elsewhere in the one-minute promo clip, Harry again makes the suggestion that Buckingham Palace planted negative media reports.

Responding to Bradby's suggestion some people will accuse him of invading the family's privacy without permission, Harry says, "That would be the accusation from the people that don't understand or don't want to believe that my family have been briefing the press.

"I don't know how staying silent is ever going to make things better," Prince Harry says.

Prince Harry and wife, Meghan pictured in The Hague on April 17, 2022.

Since their wedding in 2018, Harry and Meghan's relationship has been under intense media scrutiny, with particular focus placed on the Duchess of Sussex.

In a recent Netflix documentary, Harry blamed the media for placing undue stress on Meghan, leading to her having a miscarriage and suffering suicidal thoughts.

The couple said the unrelenting media coverage ultimately led them to quit working as members of the Royal family.

Harry admitted in the six-part documentary that he didn't deal with Meghan's deteriorating mental health "particularly well" at first.

Still image from Harry & Meghan docuseries episodes 3-6

"I knew she was struggling; we were both struggling, but I never thought it would get to that stage. The fact it got to that stage I felt angry and ashamed," Harry recounted, adding: "I dealt with it as institutional Harry as opposed to husband Harry."

Meghan said she wanted to go somewhere for help but claimed she wasn't allowed to because of concerns about how it would look for the institution, without specifying who she believes stopped her. She made similar comments in her explosive 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.

If you or someone you know is seeking support and information about suicide prevention, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 46. In an emergency dial Triple Zero (000).

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Thousands pour into St Peter's for funeral of Benedict XVI

Mourners have poured into St Peter's Square for the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, hoping to pay final respects to the German theologian who made history by retiring and participate in a rare requiem Mass for a dead pope presided over by a living one.

Thick fog enshrouded the Vatican before dawn on Thursday morning (Thursday evening AEDT) as civil protection crews and police manned metal detectors and barricades to herd well-wishers into the square.

Police estimated some 100,000 would attend, higher than an original estimate of 60,000, Italian media reported, citing police security plans.

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The fog covers the St. Peter's Basilica Dome in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican ahead of the funeral mass for late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023. Benedict died at 95 on Dec. 31 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. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Francis is due to preside over the funeral, an event drawing heads of state and royalty despite Benedict's requests for simplicity and Vatican efforts to keep the first funeral for an emeritus pope in modern times low-key.

Only Italy and Germany were invited to send official delegations, and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Italian President Sergio Mattarella confirmed their participation.

But other heads of state and government decided to take the Vatican up on its offer and come in their "private capacity."

They included several other heads of state, at least four prime ministers and two delegations of royal representatives.

The funeral rite calls for Benedict's coffin to be carried out from the basilica and placed before the altar as the faithful recite the rosary.

The ritual itself is modelled on the code used for dead popes but with some modifications given Benedict was not a reigning pope when he died.

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The coffin of late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was brought to St. Peter's Square in front of thousands of mourners.

After the Mass, Benedict's cypress coffin is to be placed inside a zinc one, then an outer oak casket before being entombed in the crypt in the grottos underneath the basilica that once held the tomb of St. John Paul II before it was moved upstairs into the main basilica.

Some 200,000 paid tribute to Benedict during three days of public viewing in St. Peter's Basilica, with one of the last ones Friar Rosario Vitale, who spent an hour praying by his body.

He said Benedict had given him a special dispensation to begin the process of becoming a priest, which was required because of a physical disability.

"So today I came here to pray on his tomb, on his body and to say 'thank you' for my future priesthood, for my ministry," he said. "I owe him a lot and this for me was really a gift to be able to pray for an hour on his bier."

The former Joseph Ratzinger, who died December 31 at age 95, is considered one of the 20th century's greatest theologians and spent his lifetime upholding church doctrine. But he will go down in history for a singular, revolutionary act that changed the future of the papacy: He retired, the first pope in six centuries to do so.

Francis has praised Benedict's courage in stepping aside when he believed he no longer had the strength to lead the church, saying it "opened the door" to other popes doing the same. Francis, for his part, recently said he has already left written instructions outlining the conditions in which he too would resign if he were to become incapacitated.

Benedict never intended his retirement to last as long as it did — at nearly 10 years it was longer than his eight-year pontificate.

And the unprecedented situation of a retired pope living alongside a reigning one prompted calls for protocols to guide future popes emeritus to prevent any confusion about who is really in charge.

During St. John Paul II's quarter-century as pope, the former Joseph Ratzinger spearheaded a crackdown on dissent as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, taking action against the left-leaning liberation theology that spread in Latin America in the 1970s and against dissenting theologians and nuns who didn't toe the Vatican's hard line on matters like sexual morals.

VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - JANUARY 05: Cardinals arrive for the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at St. Peter's square on January 5, 2023 in Vatican City, Vatican. Former Pope Benedict XVI, who served as head of the Catholic Church from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013, died on 31 December 2022 aged 95 at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Vatican City. Over 135,000 people paid their tributes on the first two days of the late pontiff's lying in state at St. Peter's Basilic

His legacy was marred by the clergy sexual abuse scandal, even though he recognised earlier than most the "filth" of priests who raped children, and actually laid the groundwork for the Holy See to punish them.

As cardinal and pope, he passed sweeping church legislation that resulted in 848 priests being defrocked from 2004-2014, roughly his pontificate with a year on either end.

But abuse survivors still held him responsible for the crisis, for failing to sanction any bishop who moved abusers around and identifying him as embodying the clerical system that long protected the institution over victims.

"Any celebration that marks the life of abuse enablers like Benedict must end," said the main US.survivor group SNAP.

While his funeral is novel, it does have some precedent: In 1802, Pope Pius VII presided over the funeral in St. Peter's of his predecessor, Pius VI, who had died in exile in France in 1799 as a prisoner of Napoleon.