Following his funeral, images of Pope Francis’ tomb have been made public.
At the age of 88, Pope Francis, who served as pope for more than ten years, passed away quietly on Monday at Saint Martha House in Vatican City.
Confirming the news of his passing at the time, Camerlengo Cardinal Kevin Farrell said in a moving statement: “Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7.35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father.”
“His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church.”
“He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with faithfulness, courage, and universal love, especially for the poorest and most marginalised.”
“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 finally laid to rest after his funeral in Rome yesterday, which reportedly drew 250,000 people.
The late 88-year-old was buried in a private ceremony at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, six kilometers from St. Peter’s Square, following the public funeral.
Pope Francis specifically asked to be buried at St. Mary Major, despite the fact that popes are typically buried in Vatican City, beneath St. Peter’s Basilica.
Roman Catholic devotees have started going to his grave since his burial. A day after he was said farewell by hundreds of thousands of people, they filed past the plain white monument in St. Mary Major Basilica.
‘Franciscus’, the Latin name for the Pope, was written on the tomb with a single white rose.
A gentle glow illuminated it, and a replica of the late pontiff’s pectoral cross adorned the wall above it.
There’s a reason the tomb is so basic. According to PBS News, Pope Francis is thought to have intended his tomb to symbolize his “humble” life.
According to the publication, in 2022, Archbishop Rolandas Makrickas proposed that the late pope be laid to rest in St. Mary Major.
Makrickas brought up the issue, recalling Pope Francis’s statement 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.”