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 said 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 the pontiff’s 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, stressing 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. St. Mary Major 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.”
Tens of thousands of faithful flocked here since Francis’ death on Monday, and hundreds stood patiently in line on Friday morning to explore the place where he will be buried, now cordoned off and obscured by plywood. Carlos Taborda, 39, traveled to Europe from Brazil with his husband and a group of friends. “It was a coincidence to be in Italy now, for the pope’s death,” he said. “We paid homage to him yesterday in St. Peter’s and now we’re going to see the place where he’ll rest forever.” Felicia Verawati, a 35-year-old nun from Indonesia, prayed in silence in front of the wooden box protecting Francis’ tomb. “To me this pope was very special,” she said. “He would always come to pray in this church; I think because he could feel Mary’s protection here.”
St. Mary Major is perched on top of one of the seven hills on which ancient Rome was built, and its bell tower is the tallest in the capital. While Francis’ tomb will be simple and essential, the basilica strikes visitors with its gilded wood ceilings and intricate mosaics adorning the floor of the central nave. “I felt very close to Francis; I liked his kindness,” said 8-year-old Flavia Chiodaroli, who came to Rome with her parents from Pavia, in northern Italy. “I want to tell Francis I love him very much and I hope the next pope will be like him.” Chiodaroli was among the many children and teens who visited St. Mary Major on Friday as part of the Jubilee of Teenagers, which was taking place in Rome despite Francis’ death. The event is expected to draw over 80,000 teenagers from all over the world to the Vatican to celebrate the special bond between Francis and youth.
The pope will start his final journey on Saturday morning from St. Peter’s Square – where his funeral will be attended by over 160 international delegations, including royals and world leaders. His casket will be driven to St. Mary Major through Rome. The motorcade is expected to move slowly so that the public along the route can pay homage for the last time. Upon arrival, Francis’ casket will be greeted by a group of Rome’s poor and needy people, those whom the pontiff felt closer to. Around 40 people — homeless, prisoners, migrants, and transgender people — will salute the pope holding a white rose, just before his burial. “The poor have a special place in the heart of the Holy Father, who chose the name Francis to never forget them,” the Vatican said.
The Santa Maria Maggiore basilica, Pope Francis's final resting place, is a fifth-century church in Rome that already holds the tombs of seven popes. Francis, who died on Monday, April 21, 2025, aged 88, will be the first pontiff in more than a century not to be entombed in St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Pope Francis prayed in Santa Maria Maggiore before leaving on trips abroad and upon his return to Rome. Most recently, Pope Francis prayed to the icon of the Virgin Mary inside the basilica on April 12, 2025, to mark the beginning of the Holy Week. Francis declared his desire to be entombed in the basilica — known in English as the Basilica of Saint Mary Major — in 2023. The last pope to be buried there was Clement IX in 1669.
During the funeral, which is currently underway, more than 50 world leaders and 11 reigning monarchs are present, including US President Donald Trump, former President Joe Biden, Argentine President Javier Milei, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is also present and met with Trump before the funeral. About 200,000 people are participating in the service in St. Peter’s Square, according to the Vatican. Authorities have prepared for a million more to line the 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) procession route from Vatican City through Rome to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. Many more of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics are watching the funeral for the first Latin American pope on TV.
Pope Francis died at the age of 88 after suffering a stroke on Easter Monday, just one day after he appeared in the same square to offer a blessing to the faithful at the high point of the Christian calendar. In the days that followed, about 250,000 mourners came to pay their final respects as his body lay in state inside St. Peter’s Basilica. His coffin was officially sealed on Friday night in a liturgical rite led by the Cardinal Camerlengo Kevin Farrell, the acting head of the church. As sunlight gleamed off the massive travertine columns of St. Peter’s Square on Saturday morning, the funeral Mass opened with the chant, sung in Latin: “Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.”
Giving the homily, Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, described Francis as a “pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone.” He added: “His gestures and exhortations in favour of refugees and displaced persons are countless. His insistence on working on behalf of the poor was constant.” The cardinal continued that, during his time as head of the Church, the pope had faced “raging wars, with their inhumane horrors” and had “incessantly raised his voice imploring peace and calling for reason and inviting honest negotiation to find possible solutions.”
Francis approved the order of the day back in June 2024. Some elements have been pared back, as Francis had sought to “simplify and adapt” proceedings, so that the papal funeral is “that of a pastor and disciple of Christ, and not of a powerful person in this world,” according to Vatican officials. Francis, who chose his name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, with his commitment to poverty, peace, and nature, also wanted to reflect his own dedication to the homeless and disadvantaged in the day’s events. He believed “the poor have a privileged place in the heart of God,” a Holy See statement said. “For this reason, a group of poor and needy people will be present on the steps leading to the papal Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore to pay their last respects to Pope Francis before the burial of his coffin.” They will be the last members of the public to see his wooden coffin, after it’s driven slowly through the streets of Rome – past tourist highlights like the Piazza Venezia and the ancient Colosseum – in his final procession.
Francis will be the first pope in more than three centuries to be buried at Santa Maria Maggiore, with the interment taking place away from the public eye. He was a pope of many firsts – the first Latin American pontiff, the first of the Jesuit order, and the first modern-day pope born outside of Europe. Elected in 2013 as an outsider candidate from Argentina, Francis went on to usher in progressive reforms, including the promotion of women’s roles in the church. But his 12-year leadership was not without criticism. He took some important steps to address the Catholic Church’s clerical sexual abuse scandals, but campaigners and survivors say there is still much more to do. Divisions within the Church over same-sex relationships also persisted throughout his papacy. When asked about his position on sexual orientation, the pope famously said, “Who am I to judge?” but also reaffirmed the Church’s position that homosexuality is considered sinful. And his record was disparaged by some of the more conservative cardinals and members of the Church.
The next pope will be chosen by cardinals from around the world in conclave, a closed-door process that may see a battle play out between those who want to continue Pope Francis’ progressive path and those who want to reverse it. Candela Rodríguez, a university exchange student studying in Rome but from Seville, Spain, told CNN she hoped the next pope would be “similar to Francisco and not extravagant. And close to the people, as he was.” Pope Francis “did a good job of bringing religion closer to young people… he was very progressive and tried to make the Church closer to everyone,” the 21-year-old said, adding that she felt “very fortunate” to be in Rome for the funeral. Catholics throughout the world have differing opinions, but many believers gathered in Vatican City this week told CNN that they are proud of Francis’ record. “The pope did a lot to put marginalized people first,” said Federico Burlón, from Argentina, as he waited to enter the colonnade of St. Peter’s Square early on Saturday. “It’s very sad, but it’s a celebration of his life. And I hope the next pope will continue his way of turning the Church back to poor people.” “He was a very simple man, who loved other people,” said Sister Luisa, a nun from Munich. “We feel very blessed, but also deep sorrow.”
