Passing away Monday at the age of 88 to the shock of Easter revelers, Pope Francis left behind a simple last will in testament that outlined how the pontiff hoped his earthly remains would be interred.
The news of the Pope’s death broke first around Europe given the time difference with the US. It happened while citizens in many countries were preparing the spreads for the Easter Monday BBQ that’s become tradition around the continent.
Francis hoped, in a will dating to June of 2022, that he would be interred in the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, rather than in the Papal Tombs, the interior of Saint Peter’s, or Vatican City in general.
Instead, the fifth-century church Francis selected is located in Rome, and is one of four Papal Basilicas of the city. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and a place where the Pope often came for quiet prayer upon his return to Rome from any of the more than 100 trips he made beyond the Eternal City’s confines.
The Pope wrote:
I have always entrusted my life and my priestly and episcopal ministry to the Mother of Our Lord, Mary Most Holy. Therefore, I ask that my mortal remains rest awaiting the day of resurrection in the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
I wish that my last earthly journey conclude precisely in this ancient Marian sanctuary where I went for prayer at the beginning and end of each Apostolic Journey to confidently entrust my intentions to the Immaculate Mother and thank Her for her docile and maternal care.
I ask that my tomb be prepared in the niche of the side nave between the Pauline Chapel (Chapel of the Salus Populi Romani) and the Sforza Chapel of the aforementioned Papal Basilica.
The tomb must be in the earth; simple, without particular decoration and with the only inscription: Franciscus.
The suffering that has become present in the last part of my life I have offered to the Lord for peace in the world and brotherhood among peoples.
Having grown up in poverty in South America, is there much of a surprise then that Francis desired as simple a burial as the leader of the Catholic Church could possibly be expected to afford himself?
For those to whom Francis was a positive force in the world, and a beloved and inspirational figure, the last will presents as a final parting gift of his benevolence and unique papal character—to be celebrated for having witnessed, and to be remembered warmly.
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