Pope Francis was buried at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, not the Vatican. Pope First was buried outside the Vatican. He chooses a simple wooden coffin lined with zinc.
Pope Francis reflects the humidity and simplicity. He has championed throughout his papacy. Pope Francis has approved sweeping changes to the traditional papal funeral. These revisions break away from centuries of ceremonial grandeur and mark a final deeply personal statement from the 88-year-old pontiff for generations.
The death of a pope has marked by a highly ritualized sequence of events steeped in tradition and pageantry pontiffs. They traditionally buried in three nested coffins. One of Cyprus, one of lead, and a final outer layer of oak symbolizing mortality, dignity and eternity. The bodies were typically displayed on a catapult in St peter’s Basilica. Where the faithful could past to pay their last respects to Pope Francis.
However, he has opted for something far more understated. When the time comes his body will rest in a simple wooden coffin lined with zinc. This is the imposing catapult instead of mourners. The coffin slide is removed but without the elaborate platform and regal trappings that have defined previous papal farewells even more significantly.
The First Pope in over a century to be buried outside the Vatican
Pope Francis will become the first pope in over a century to be buried outside the Vatican. His final resting place will be the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. This is one of the four major papal basilicas in Rome. And a site of deep spiritual resonance for him. Before Francis, the last pope was buried outside the Vatican was Leo 13th who died in 1903. He was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to July 1903 until his death.
Pope Francis’s Spiritual Life
This decision isn’t just symbolic it’s personally located on Esquilin Hill. The Basilica has played a recurring role in Pope Francis’s spiritual life. It was there early on the morning of the 14th of March 2013 just hours after he was elected the first pope from the Americas. George Mario Bergoglio came to pray before the icon of the Salos popular Romani which means the protectress of the Roman people. The elaborate rituals are typically associated with a papal death. He said “I have made my choice I want it to be simple, and I want to rest where I have always found comfort in the arms of Mary.
The Basilica is no stranger to papal burials. Pope visited Santa Maria Maggiore in 2019. He prayed during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a deserted room after his abdominal surgeries in 2021 and 2023, he returned to give thanks.
He led an international prayer service for peace in Ukraine. The funeral mass is expected to take place in St Peter’s Square. An understated end to a papacy that sought to strip away excess in favor of humility, mercy, and service.
