A Final Resting Place for Pope Francis

The Pope's tomb at Santa Maria Maggiore will be open for visitation starting the morning of Sunday, April 27. This was announced by the director of the Vatican press office, Matteo Bruni, who confirmed the date from which the faithful and visitors can approach the Pontiff's resting place. On April 26, before the burial, a group of poor and needy individuals will gather on the steps leading to the Papal Basilica to pay their last respects to the Pope before the entombment, as communicated by the Holy See, which also emphasized the choice of the name 'Francis', made 'to never forget them'. Unlike other Popes buried at St. Peter's, Francis chose to be buried at Santa Maria Maggiore following a suggestion from Rolandas Makrickas, Co-Archpriest of the same basilica, who is also the only person mentioned in the Pontiff's will. To Makrickas, the Pope gave instructions for the construction of the tomb: simple and modest, with marble sourced from Liguria. On the stone, only the inscription 'Franciscus'. Curiously, the tomb was entirely funded by an anonymous benefactor who, likely for the first time in the Church's history, wished to provide their resources to enable the realization of the project as desired by Pope Francis. Santa Maria Maggiore will thus become a new pilgrimage destination, with the municipality already considering various specific interventions to accommodate the thousands of faithful who will surely want to pay their respects to Francis after the burial.