The world is bidding farewell to Pope Francis. As per the Pope’s last wishes, the funeral will be held at the Basilica of St.Mary Major in Rome, outside the Vatican. The funeral will begin at 1:30 pm Indian time.
People from all over the world are flocking to the Vatican to pay their last respects to the late Pope Francis. World leaders and tens of thousands of believers will attend the funeral, and a delegation including President Draupadi Murmu, representing India, had reached the Vatican to pay their last respects to the Pope.
Most former popes are buried in St. Peter’s Basilica, where the tomb of St. Peter is located. However, the Pope stated in his death certificate that he wanted his final resting place to be in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. Accordingly, it was decided to bury his body there.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside over the Mass. After the funeral, the pope’s casket will be taken to St. Peter’s Basilica and then to St. Mary Major Basilica for burial. Mary Major Basilica has been a frequent destination for Pope Francis before and after his various apostolic journeys.
The Pope had previously written that he wanted his tomb to be located between the Pauline Chapel and the Four Chapel in the Basilica of Mary Major in Rome. The Pope’s death certificate stated that the tomb of the disciple of Christ should not have any special decorations and that only the name Francis should be written in Latin. The decision of the College of Cardinals is to fulfill the Pope’s last wishes.
