The head of the basilica that is housing Pope Francis’s tomb says it reflects his “humble, simple and essential” life
Pope’s burial place reflects his ‘humble, simple, essential’ life, basilica’s archbishop saysBy GIADA ZAMPANOAssociated PressThe Associated PressROME
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis chose his place of burial in St. Mary Major Basilica, near an icon of the Madonna that he revered, because it reflects his “humble, simple and essential’’ life, the archbishop who administers the basilica told reporters on Friday.
Francis, who died Monday at age 88, will be buried in a niche tomb in the basilica on Saturday after his funeral in St. Peter’s Square about 4 kilometers (2½ miles) away.
Francis initially demurred when Archbishop Rolandas Makrickas suggested in May 2022 that he choose St. Mary Major as his last resting place. Makrickas had identified it because of Francis’ long association with the basilica, its ties to Francis’ Jesuit order, its artistic and spiritual heritage and links to the papacy. Seven other popes are buried there, but none since 1669.
At first, “he said no because popes are buried in St. Peter’s,” Makrickas told reporters on the steps of the basilica. “After a week, he called me to (his home at the Vatican) Santa Marta and he said ‘Prepare my tomb.’”
The pope later insisted that his tomb remain simple, insisting that people should still come to the basilica dedicated to the Virgin Mary “to venerate the Madonna, not to see the tomb of a pope,” Makrickas said.
Francis will be buried beneath a simple headstone made of marble from Liguria, the Italian region of his mother’s family, engraved with his name in Latin: Franciscus. Above it will hang a slightly enlarged replica of his pectoral cross, featuring raised images of a shepherd carrying a sheep over his shoulders and a dove, but no other adornments.
The tomb is placed in a niche next to the chapel where the Salus Populi Romani icon that the pope revered is located, and in a part of the basilica that was once a door to an adjacent palace where four popes lived. During his 12-year papacy, Francis would pray before the icon before and after each foreign trip.
The basilica also has significance for the Jesuit pope: It’s where the founder of the religious order, St. Ignatius Loyola, celebrated his first Mass on Christmas Day in 1538.
The basilica is a pontifical basilica, one of four in Rome, and has never been “destroyed, damaged or burned” over the ages, with history dating back to the fifth century. Makrickas called it “a treasure chest of art and spirituality.”
