The Vatican has confirmed Pope Francis will be buried this Saturday following his death from a stroke on Easter Monday.
The 88-year-old pontiff will be laid to rest in a modest ceremony at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore – a striking departure from centuries of papal tradition.
World leaders, including US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, are expected to attend the funeral, which will take place in St Peter’s Square.
Italy in mourning
The Italian government has declared five days of national mourning as Francis lies in state at St Peter’s Basilica from Wednesday, giving millions of Catholics the chance to pay their final respects.
Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, will be buried in the Marian sanctuary he held most dear – a personal request he penned in a 2022 testament.
“The tomb must be in the earth; simple without any particular decoration and with the only inscription Franciscus,” he wrote. A private donor, arranged by the Pope himself, will cover the burial costs.
‘Even in death Francis walks with the people’
The decision breaks with long-standing Vatican protocol, which typically sees popes entombed in triple coffins within the ornate crypts of St Peter’s Basilica. But Francis, known for his humility and preference for simplicity, had repeatedly rejected the trappings of papal grandeur – including the traditional Apostolic Palace, in favour of modest rooms in the Casa Santa Marta.
“This is a Pope who didn’t want to be treated like a king,” said Vatican journalist and author Iacopo Scaramuzzi.
“Even in death, he is choosing to reflect a Church that walks with the people – not above them.”
As Catholics around the world prepare to say goodbye, Pope Francis leaves a lasting legacy not just of spiritual leadership, but of a radical redefinition of what it means to serve. His final journey, like his papacy, will be rooted not in power, but in purpose.
