Italy, Rome:
Pope Francis was buried in his favourite Roman church after a funeral mass in St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican said Saturday.
Francis, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88, was placed to rest at the Italian capital Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica at 1pm (1100 GMT).
Footage shared by Sacred Sea shows the Cardinals marking his wooden and zinc co- with a red wax seal.
As Kamerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who runs the daily affairs of the Vatican until the new Pope was elected, sprinkled with holy water after it sank into the tomb into the alcove.
The breeding of the chest cross that Francis wore for his lifetime hanged over it.
Francis asked that the tomb near the altar of St. Francis be simple and not decorated, reflecting the humble spirit of his pope.
The tombstone only has an inscription “Franciscus.” The name of the Latin Pope.
The marble is sourced from Liguria, a region in northwestern Italy, where the Italian ancestors of the Argentinean pope were once based.
Born in Jorge Bergolio, Francis had, at his will, designated the exact location he wanted to be buried in the nave on the side of his beloved 5th century advertising church.
The Pope was dedicated to the worship of the Virgin Mary, and emphasized that he would pray at Santa Maria Maggiore after traveling abroad and returning to Rome.
He declared his desire to be buried there in 2023.
Located in the heart of Rome, the cathedral already has the tombs of seven popes.
However, the last thing buried there was Clement IX in 1669. These days, the Pope is usually buried in the Cathedral of St. Peter.
One of the four Pope Basilicas in Rome, Santa Maria Magiore also holds the ruins of other well-known figures, including the architect and sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who designed the pillars in and around St. Peter’s Square.
Built around AD 432 under Pope Sixtus III, this basilica holds some of the most important relics of the Catholic Church, including the symbol of the Virgin Mary, who holds the baby Jesus due to St. Luke.
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