Pope Francis Chooses Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore for Burial, Breaking Tradition

ROMA, KOMPAS.com – If he dies, Pope Francis will ask to be buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, not in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican with his predecessors.

“The place has been prepared. I want to be buried in Santa Maria Maggiore,” said the Pope, who will turn 87 this weekend, to the N+ streaming service owned by Mexican television station Televisa, Wednesday (13/3/2023).

In the same interview, he revealed his plans to visit Belgium in 2024 and hopes to visit his home country, Argentina.

Also read: AI Increasingly Vulnerable to Abuse, Pope Francis Intervenes…

Pope Francis’ choice of grave means he will be the first Pope to be buried outside the Vatican in more than 100 years.

The last pope who was not buried at St. Peter’s was Leo XIII, who died in 1903. His body rests in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, Rome.

Santa Maria Maggiore is one of four papal basilicas in Rome, and one that Pope Francis says he has a special relationship with.

He often went there on Sundays when visiting Rome before becoming pope. Since his election in 2013, the Pope has worshiped there before and after traveling. He also said a prayer there after undergoing surgery.

Also read:

A total of seven popes were previously buried in the Vatican basilica, according to the official Vatican News media quoted by the AFP news agency.

Pope Francis’ health problems have increased in recent years, and he was forced to cancel a visit to the COP28 climate summit in Dubai due to bronchitis.

Also read: Pope Francis Admits Suffering from Acute and Infectious Bronchitis

Get selected news updates and breaking news every day from Kompas.com. Let’s join the Telegram Group “Kompas.com News Update”, by clicking the link https://t.me/kompascomupdate, then join. You must install the Telegram application first on your cellphone.

2023-12-16 11:33:00
#Pope #Francis #asks #buried #Rome #Vatican #Kompas.com