Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church since 2013, died the morning of April 21 at the age of 88. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Pope Francis was the first Latin American pontiff. His final public appearance was the day before his death, on Easter Sunday, when he blessed thousands of gatherers in St. Peter’s Square.
Where will the pope be buried?
Despite the papal tradition of being buried at St. Peter’s Basilica, which is in the city-state of Vatican City within Rome, it is expected that Pope Francis will be laid to rest at Santa Maria Maggiore (also known as Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major) in accordance with his wishes. St. Mary Major, which lies outside of the Vatican in Rome proper, is home to the Salus Populi Romani, an ancient Byzantine depiction of the Virgin Mary. Pope Francis was known for visiting the site before and after his international travels. Just last year, he officially updated the papal funeral rites to allow for burial outside of the Vatican.
The pope discussed his plans in 2023 with Mexican news outlet N+1, noting that he chose St. Mary Major for his burial site because of his “very strong connection” to the church: “The place is already prepared.”
Pope Francis’s burial outside of the Vatican would mark the first departure from the tradition in just over a century. Pope Leo XIII, who died in 1903, was Initially buried in the grottoes of St. Peter’s Basilica before his remains were transferred to Rome’s Basilica of St. John Lateran in 1924. Leo XIII’s is the most recent papal burial outside of St. Peter’s Basilica. Pope Francis would be the seventh pope to be interred at St. Mary Major, the most recent being Pope Clement IX in 1669. Per the custom, Pope Francis’s predecessor, Benedict XVI, was buried in the Vatican Grottoes, a network of underground chambers below St. Peter’s Basilica where nearly 100 popes are buried.
Where will the pope’s funeral be?
Though official timing hasn’t yet been announced, Pope Francis’s coffin will be transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, where mourners will be invited to pay their respects. Reportedly, that could take place as early as Wednesday morning. A funeral Mass and burial will follow, which will be scheduled sometime between this Friday and Sunday.
Where did the pope live?
The Vatican announced the pope’s death from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta (also known in Latin as the Domus Sanctae Marthae), which is where Pope Francis lived throughout his papacy. Typically, popes reside in apartments inside the Apostolic Palace, but Pope Francis chose to maintain a more modest suite inside Santa Marta, which is adjacent to St. Peter’s Basilica and traditionally serves as a guesthouse for visiting cardinals and other clergy.
The five-story structure in Santa Marta was built in 1996 under the papacy of Pope John Paul II, providing more comfortable sleeping arrangements for cardinals during conclaves. Prior to its construction, papal electors slept “on cots in small rooms adjacent to the Sistine Chapel,” National Geographic reported.
Following his death, the doors to Francis’s apartment were ceremonially closed with red ribbon and a wax seal.
What happens now?
A nine-day period of mourning, or novendiali, will follow the death of Pope Francis. The conclave begins 15 to 20 days after the pontiff’s death. Cardinals will flock to the Vatican to elect Pope Francis’s successor in a secretive voting process inside the Sistine Chapel. Following each voting session, the cardinals’ ballots are counted and burned.
White smoke indicates that the next pope has been chosen, while black smoke indicates that voting must continue. Pope Francis’s successor will need two-thirds majority vote in order to be elected.
What is in Vatican City?
St. Peter’s Basilica, where Pope Francis’s funeral will take place, is a domed church in the heart of Vatican City with elements of Renaissance and Baroque styles. It was constructed between 1506 and 1626 and is one of Christianity’s holiest landmarks.
Just outside of the Basilica is St. Peter’s Square, where Pope Francis made his final public appearance. The sprawling piazza was completed in 1667. At its center is the Vatican Obelisk, an ancient Egyptian obelisk that was transported to Rome in 37 AD. The Sistine Chapel, home to Michaelangelo’s famous ceiling frescoes, is located inside the Apostolic Palace. The Apostolic Palace also houses the papal apartments, which have served as the traditional residence of the pope since the 17th century. The Vatican museums, which receive six million visitors every year, are also inside the Palace.
Where does conclave voting take place?
The Sistine Chapel is where conclave voting takes place.
