“I ask that my mortal remains will rest waiting for the day of the resurrection in the papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore». Pope Francis, with this sentence, inserted in the will dated 29 June 2022 and made public by the Vatican in recent days, wanted to precisely indicate the place of his burial.
The funeral will be held on Saturday at 10 on the churchyard of the Basilica of San Pietro. Then, Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s body will be transferred in the lateral nave of Santa Maria Maggiorebetween the Paolina chapel, which houses the icon of the Salus Populi Romani, and the Sforza chapel. “The sepulcher must be in the earth; Simple, without particular decoration and with the only inscription: Franciscus»He wrote in the will.
In the document, Pope Francis explains his will thus explains: “My life and the priestly and episcopal ministry I have always entrusted to the mother of our Lord, Mary Most Holy». And that’s why he asked to conclude the earthly journey in place where he stopped in silence several times before and after every apostolic journeyto entrust and thank.
From the beginning of the pontificate, Santa Maria Maggiore played a central role. On March 14, 2013, just elected, Francesco we wanted to go: “The Pope communicated to me his intention to visit the basilica just an hour after the election,” said Cardinal Santos Abril y Castelló, who was then the archpriest. “He did not surprise me at all: I knew his strong devotion to the Madonna well, in particular at the Salus Populi Romani”.
Over the years, Pope Francis’ visits to the Basilica have been numerous, often informal, not announced. “When he starts or comes back from a trip, he calls us someone to follow us to warn us that he will stop in the Basilica“Explained Abril y Castelló in an interview of 2016. With that gesture, he entrusted the apostolic mission to the protection of the Virgin.
In 2016, Francesco chose Santa Maria Maggiore to open the Holy Door of the extraordinary Jubilee. On January 1st, the Divine Matherality Festival of Mary, it was not a random choice. “It is a way to return to the origins of the Basilica itself, born by the will of the Roman people just to honor Mary Mother of God,” explained the cardinal.
The Marian icon of the Basilica played a role even in the most difficult moments of the pontificate. On March 15, 2020, in the middle of Lockdown, Francesco stopped to pray in front of the Roman Salus populi, asking for the end of the pandemic. A few days later, the image was brought to a San Pietro Deserto square for the extraordinary prayer of March 27, broadcast live in the world.
And now Santa Maria Maggiore, who has always been a fixed stop for Pope Francis, becomes his last home.
Source: Vanity Fair
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