Rome (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On Sunday morning, thousands of people passed by Pope Francis’s tomb, filling the Roman basilica where he opted to be buried, diverging from tradition.
People started lining up long before the Basilica opened at 7:00 a.m. (0500 GMT), and once the doors opened, the church quickly filled with visitors. Authorities encouraged guests to exit promptly after viewing the tomb, explaining that thousands more were waiting outside to enter.
For over a century, no pope was buried outside the Vatican; however, Francis chose to be interred at Santa Maria Maggiore (Saint Mary Major) in the Italian capital’s most culturally diverse area.
His coffin arrived there on Saturday following his funeral Mass in St. Peter’s Square, where approximately 150,000 people lined the route through the city to bid their farewells. The casket was laid to rest in a simple marble tomb situated in a side aisle of the basilica. Only his name in Latin, “Franciscus,” is engraved on top, while a reproduction of the unadorned cross he wore around his neck hangs above the niche.
What significance does Pope Francis’s burial location hold?
Founded in 432, the church is the only basilica in Rome that retains its early Christian architecture despite numerous later additions. Francis held a deep attachment to it due to his devotion to Mary, Mother of God, praying there before and after each overseas journey.
An esteemed Byzantine icon of Mary resides in the Pauline Chapel near the tomb. A vase filled with golden roses, gifted by Francis in 2023, rests among the candlesticks beneath the icon. On April 12, he made his final visit to the chapel, bringing a bouquet of white roses. A solitary white rose was left on his tomb.
Pope Francis, the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church and the first Latin American pope, passed away on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88. He died at 7:35 a.m. local time in his apartment at Casa Santa Marta in Vatican City. Pope Francis’ health had been declining for months. He was hospitalized in February 2025 with a bad case of bronchitis and then diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia. Though discharged after 38 days and resuming limited public activity, his general condition was still weak.
