Pope Francis was buried Sunday, April 26, at Santa Maria Maggiore.
After his funeral, pictures of Pope Francis’ tomb were made public.
At the age of 88, Pope Francis passed away quietly on Monday at Saint Martha House in Vatican City after serving as pope for more than ten years.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell of Camerlengo confirmed the news of his death at the moment with a heartfelt statement: “With great sadness, I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis, dear brothers and sisters. The Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the Father’s house at 7:35 this morning.
His whole existence was devoted to serving the Lord and his Church.
He instructed us on how to faithfully, courageously, and universally love the impoverished and most marginalized people in order to live out the principles of the gospel.
“With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite, merciful love of God, One and Tribune.”
Pope Francis has already been buried after his funeral, which was held in Rome yesterday and reportedly drew 250,000 people.
At the Basilica of St. Mary Major, six kilometers from St. Peter’s Square, the late 88-year-old was buried in a private ceremony following the public service.
Popes are typically buried beneath St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, but Pope Francis specifically asked to be buried at St. Mary Major.
Roman Catholic devotees have been flocking to his grave since his burial, passing the plain white tomb in St. Mary Major Basilica just one day after hundreds of thousands of people bid him farewell.
The Pope’s Latin name, “Franciscus,” was displayed on the tomb with a single white rose.
On the wall above it was a replica of the late pontiff’s pectoral cross, and a light threw its warm glow over it.
The tomb’s simplicity is deliberate. Pope Francis is thought to have wanted his burial to symbolize his “humble” life, according to PBS News.
In 2022, Archbishop Rolandas Makrickas proposed that the late pope be laid to repose in St. Mary Major, according to the site.
Speaking on the issue, Makrickas recalled Pope Francis stating that he wanted his own tomb to be straightforward since he wanted the Virgin Mary basilica “to venerate the Madonna, not to see the tomb of a pope.”
