Pope Francis is the first pope to be buried outside the Vatican in over a century. His burial will take place at St. Mary Major Basilica on Saturday, five days following his death.
Pope Francis, on his death on Easter Monday, left a legacy of transformative work for 1.4 billion Roman Catholics and the entire world. Known as the People’s Pope, the radical pontiff addressed past church scandals and was a champion of underdogs, from the poor to abuse victims, migrants, communities battered by climate change, and the LGBTQ community.
Francis, with his humility and empathy, reshaped the papal mould all while facing opposition and criticism from fellow clergy and traditionalists within the Church. In the days to come, the Argentinian Pontiff is making his last break from tradition in how and where he’ll be laid to rest.
Prior to his death, the Holy Father had planned to be laid in state in a simple coffin and laid to rest in a simple underground tomb inside the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major) instead of the Vatican. Like his previous works, personality, and 12-year papacy, it’s a move grounded in simplicity and profound faith.
When I pass away, I will not be buried in St. Peter’s, but in St. Mary Major. The Vatican is the home of my final service, not my eternity
Pope Francis, whose real name was Jorge Mario Bergoglio, died on Monday, April 21, at the age of 88. Two months prior, he was rushed to Gemelli Hospital because of chronic bronchitis, which developed into pneumonia and mild kidney failure. He remained at the hospital for five weeks until being discharged on March 23. Hours after the pope’s death on Monday, the Vatican announced that it was caused by a stroke, which led to a coma and irreversible heart failure.
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Catholics worldwide are now observing “Novendiale,” or nine days of mourning, following the pope’s death. During this period, Francis’ body will lie in state at St. Peter’s Basilica for three days before the funeral, while daily prayer services and masses are being held for his eternal repose.
Papal funerals are typically filled with rituals. The pope’s embalmed body is dressed in red liturgical vestments and placed in three coffins made of cypress, lead, and oak. It is raised on a pedestal in the altar of the basilica. Francis is shunning the rituals by having his body placed in a coffin made out of wood and lined with zinc. It will not be raised on a platform and will remain open until the night before the funeral.
The pope had it envisioned and planned out long before his demise. He talked about it in his autobiography, titled Hope, which was published last January. He wrote, “The funeral rites were too elaborate, so I spoke with the master of ceremonies to simplify them: no catafalque, no ceremony for sealing the coffin. With dignity, but like any other Christian.”
From his simple funeral, Francis continues to break tradition with his choice of St. Mary Major Basilica as his final resting place. Traditionally, popes are buried in grottos beneath St. Peter’s Basilica. Francis’ final wish to be buried in a simple underground tomb in St. Mary Major makes him the first pope in over a century to be laid to rest outside the Vatican.
“When I pass away, I will not be buried in St. Peter’s, but in St. Mary Major. The Vatican is the home of my final service, not my eternity,” he explained in his memoir. As a devotee of the Virgin Mary, the basilica was also where Francis would go to pray before and after trips overseas. He elaborated on this in his last will and testament, which the pope wrote in June 2022 and released by the Vatican on its website the day after his passing. It reads as follows:
“In the Name of the Most Holy Trinity. Amen.
“Feeling that the sunset of my earthly life is approaching and with lively hope in Eternal Life, I wish to express my testamentary will only with regard to the place of my burial.
“I have always entrusted my life and my priestly and episcopal ministry to the Mother of Our Lord, Mary Most Holy. Therefore, I ask that my mortal remains rest awaiting the day of resurrection in the Papal Basilica of St Mary Major.
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“I wish that my last earthly journey conclude precisely in this ancient Marian sanctuary where I went for prayer at the beginning and end of each Apostolic journey to confidently entrust my intentions to the Immaculate Mother and thank Her for her docile and maternal care.”
The late pontiff previously wrote in his book that he wanted to be laid to rest specifically near the marble statue of Mary, titled Ave Rehina Pacis. “I will be in the room where they now keep the candelabras, near that Queen of Peace, to whom I have always turned for help and whose embrace I have sought more than a hundred times during my pontificate,” he wrote.
In his will, Francis emphasized that he wanted to be buried on the ground with the inscription of his name in Latin: “The tomb must be in the earth; simple, without particular decoration, and with the only inscription: Franciscus.”
The pope added that he had arranged for an unnamed benefactor to cover the costs of his burial, and that he had offered the suffering he endured in the last part of his life “to the Lord for peace in the world and brotherhood among peoples.”
A day after the pontiff’s death, the Vatican announced that his funeral will take place on Saturday, April 26, at 10 am local time (4 pm Manila time). Prior to Francis, the last pope to be buried outside the Vatican was Leo XIII who died in 1903.
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