In life, Pope Francis was never one to follow the script, and it seems, in death, he’s staying true to form. Breaking with more than a century of tradition, he will not be buried in the Vatican grottoes beneath St. Peter’s Basilica like so many of his predecessors. Instead, his final resting place will be the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, a choice both unconventional and deeply personal.
This isn’t just a break from protocol; it’s a profound statement. St. Mary Major is no ordinary church. A UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the city’s four major papal basilicas, it has been a spiritual touchstone for Francis throughout his papacy.
Just hours after being elected in 2013, he made a quiet pilgrimage to the basilica to pray before the Salus Populi Romani, the revered icon of the Virgin Mary, known as the “Salvation of the Roman People.” That moment set the tone for a papacy grounded in humility, devotion, and a clear departure from pomp.
Time and again, Francis returned to St. Mary Major before every journey abroad and upon returning, often quietly, without fanfare. Even after a grueling 38-day hospital stay, it was the first place he went. His final visit came on April 12, a subtle farewell to a place that had become more than sacred ground, it was, in many ways, a sanctuary of the heart.
Choosing St. Mary Major as his burial site is entirely in character for a pope who consistently put people over protocol and simplicity over spectacle. In resting there, Francis leaves behind not only a legacy of reform and compassion, but a final message, whispered rather than declared: tradition matters, but meaning matters more.
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