Pope Francis will be buried outside the Vatican. The pontiff left this instruction in his will, the text of which was published in Ukrainian by Vatican news. This will be the first time in the last century that a pope will be buried outside the Vatican.
Pope Francis willed that his mortal remains be interred in the Pontifical Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Santa Maria Maggiore), one of the four main basilicas in Rome. According to the will, ‘the tomb should be in the ground; simple, without any special decorations and with a single inscription: ‘Franciscus‘’.
According to church customs, the Pope can be buried within four to six days after his death. The funeral mass is to be held at St Peter’s Cathedral. The pontiff’s body is scheduled to be transferred to St Peter’s Basilica on 26 April.
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