Te Deum

Joaquín Navarro-Valls im Interview mit L'espresso:

"'Do you know what was the first prayer said by the persons in the room at the moment of his death?'

Q: A Requiem?

A: 'No, a Te Deum, which is a solemn hymn of thanksgiving. The religious sisters, the secretary, and the few others who were present spontaneously intoned it to thank God, not for his death of course, but for those 84 years that were so fruitful. I myself found it extraordinarily difficult in that moment to recite the usual prayers on behalf of the deceased.'" [via fonolog]