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Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church since 2013, passed away on April 21 at the age of 88. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he made history as the first Latin American pontiff. His last public engagement occurred the day before his demise, during which he blessed the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday.
Where will the Pope be buried?
Traditionally, popes are interred at St. Peter’s Basilica, located in Vatican City. However, it is anticipated that Pope Francis will be laid to rest at Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major Basilica) in accordance with his own wishes. This basilica, situated outside the Vatican grounds in Rome, is renowned for housing the Salus Populi Romani, an ancient Byzantine icon of the Virgin Mary. Pope Francis frequently visited this site during his travels. Notably, he revised the papal funeral rites in 2022 to enable burial outside Vatican grounds.
In 2023, he confirmed his burial plans to a Mexican media outlet, expressing a profound connection to St. Mary Major: “The place is already prepared.”
If carried out, his burial outside the Vatican would be the first such occurrence in more than a century. The last pope to be interred outside of St. Peter’s Basilica was Pope Leo XIII, who was laid to rest in the Basilica of St. John Lateran in 1903. Pope Francis would become the seventh pope to be buried at St. Mary Major, the last being Pope Clement IX in 1669. His predecessor, Benedict XVI, was interred in the Vatican Grottoes, an intricate series of chambers beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, where nearly 100 popes are entombed.
Where will the Pope’s funeral be?
While the exact details of the funeral have yet to be disclosed, it is expected that Pope Francis’s coffin will be moved to St. Peter’s Basilica, allowing the public to pay their respects. Reports suggest this could happen as early as Wednesday morning. A funeral Mass and subsequent burial are planned for later in the week, between Friday and Sunday.
Where did the Pope live?
The Vatican confirmed the Pope’s death occurred at the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta, where he resided during his papacy. Unlike his predecessors, who typically lived in the Apostolic Palace, Pope Francis opted for a more modest accommodation in Santa Marta, which is adjacent to St. Peter’s Basilica and serves as a guest house for visiting cardinals.
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