Pictures of Pope Francis’ tomb were released to the public after his funeral.
Pope Francis, who held the office for over a decade, died quietly at Saint Martha House in Vatican City on Monday at the age of 88.
“Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” said Camerlengo Cardinal Kevin Farrell in a heartfelt statement confirming the news of his passing at the time. Francis, the Bishop of Rome, arrived back at the Father’s house at 7:35 this morning.
“He devoted his entire life to serving the Lord and his Church.”
“He taught us to live the gospel values with courage, faithfulness, and love for everyone, especially the most marginalized and impoverished.”
“With great appreciation for his example as a sincere follower of the Lord Jesus, we honor Pope Francis’ soul to the merciful, boundless love of God, One and Tribune.”
Following his funeral yesterday in Rome, which reportedly drew 250,000 people, Pope Francis was finally laid to rest.
After the public funeral, the late 88-year-old was buried in a private ceremony at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, which is six kilometers from St. Peter’s Square.
Although popes are normally buried in Vatican City, beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis specifically requested to be buried at St. Mary Major.
Since his burial, Roman Catholic devotees have begun visiting his grave. Hundreds of thousands of people filed past the simple white monument in St. Mary Major Basilica the day after they bid him farewell.
The Pope’s Latin name, Franciscus, was inscribed on the tomb alongside a single white rose.
It was softly lit, and the wall above it was decorated with a copy of the late pontiff’s pectoral cross.
The tomb is so simple for a reason. Pope Francis is believed to have wanted his tomb to represent his “humble” life, according to PBS News.
The article claims that Archbishop Rolandas Makrickas suggested the late pope’s burial in St. Mary Major in 2022.
Recalling Pope Francis’s declaration that he wanted his own tomb to be simple because he wanted the Virgin Mary basilica “to venerate the Madonna, not to see the tomb of a pope,” Makrickas raised the issue.