Pope Francis said that, throughout his life, he had always entrusted himself to the Virgin Mary.
“For this reason, I ask that my mortal remains rest – awaiting the day of the Resurrection – in the Papal Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore,” he wrote in his will.
His coffin has just been carried through the basilica, where Francis prayed throughout his papacy – often before and after his dozens of foreign visits, and after his hospital stays.
Francis would pray to the most important Marian icon, the Salus Populi Romani, to which he entrusted the protection of his apostolic journeys, in keeping with Jesuit tradition.
When Francis was discharged from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, following his five-week bout of double pneumonia, he visited the basilica again – having an aide go to lay flowers inside on his behalf.
Claudia Greco/Reuters
The public part of today’s ceremony has now concluded, and Francis will be buried in private.
In his will, Francis gave simple instructions for his burial: “The tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus.”
