Vatican Releases Images from Pope Francis’ Private Burial Ceremony

The Vatican has released images of Pope Francis’ burial ceremony at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, following the public funeral Mass held earlier in St. Peter’s Square.

The private burial took place on April 26 at 1 p.m. local time, lasting about 30 minutes. Only a small group of the pope’s closest associates attended, fulfilling Pope Francis’ wish for a humble and simple ceremony.

The Vatican shared video footage showing cardinals sealing the pope’s wooden and zinc coffin with red wax. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, currently serving as the Vatican’s camerlengo (acting regent), sprinkled holy water over the coffin before it was lowered into the tomb.

Above the tomb hangs a replica of the cross that Pope Francis often wore during his lifetime. In his final wishes, Francis requested to be buried near the Altar of St. Francis, in a modest, undecorated tomb—reflecting his lifelong humility.

The tomb is crafted from marble sourced from Liguria, the northwestern region of Italy where the pope’s ancestors once lived. It bears a single Latin inscription: "Franciscus," the papal name of Pope Francis.

Pope Francis passed away on April 21 at the age of 88. His body had lain in state at St. Peter’s Basilica for three days to allow the public to pay their respects. The funeral Mass on April 26 drew over 250,000 mourners, including dozens of world leaders.

Following the funeral, his coffin was transported to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major for burial, as he had requested. The basilica, one of Rome’s four major papal basilicas, is the largest church in the city dedicated to the Virgin Mary—a figure Pope Francis revered deeply.

The pope often prayed at Saint Mary Major before and after his international trips. In March 2020, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, he made a special visit to the basilica to pray for an end to the global crisis.

Pope Francis now rests alongside seven other popes who were buried there before him, including Honorius III, Nicholas IV, St. Pius V, Sixtus V, Paul V, Clement VIII, and most recently, Clement IX in 1669.

(Sources: AFP, Vatican News)

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