Less than a week after his death, Pope Francis was laid to rest. His funeral began on the morning of Saturday (April 26) in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City.
In a break from tradition, the Pope was laid to rest at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, rather than St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City, making him the first pope in more than a century to be interred outside the Vatican walls.
The funeral service, led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, concluded with the solemn Ultima commendatio and Valedictio rites.
After the funeral, which was attended by several world leaders, Pope Francis’ coffin was transferred in a widely watched procession to the Basilica of St. Mary Major for a private burial.
Francis made multiple trips to St. Mary Major throughout his pontificate. He made a special trip at the basilica to present flowers even after being released from a month-long hospital stay in March due to respiratory concerns. Only a few days before he passed away on April 21 from a brain stroke, he made his final church visit on April 12.
Only seven other popes have been interred at St. Mary Major in history, and the majority of them did so during the 120-year building of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Pope Francis asked for a “simple” burial in his last will and testament, one that would merely bear his papal name in Latin, “Franciscus,” and be free of any ornate decorations.
In his will, he stated,
“Throughout my life, and during my ministry as a priest and bishop, I have always entrusted myself to the Mother of Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary,” he wrote in the will. “I wish my final earthly journey to end precisely in this ancient Marian sanctuary.”
In his last hours, Francis reportedly thanked Massimiliano Strappetti, his longstanding health assistant, for enabling him to make an unexpected appearance on Easter Sunday, according to Vatican sources.
The next pope will soon be chosen by the College of Cardinals. Rumor has it that Peter Erdo of Hungary, Luis Tagle of the Philippines, and Peter Turkson of Ghana are all possible heirs to Pope Francis.
