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When a Pope dies, the funeral is solemn.  

The funeral rite of the Popes has been codified over the centuries and has two objectives. The first is to show respect and reverence for the remains of the man who became Pope. The second is to show the transience of the human condition.  

The man who became Pope is a man who, from the dust, became the successor of Peter and who, at the moment of death, performs the greatest act of humility by entrusting himself to the Lord of life, testifying his faith in Him, and handing over to others the office received. 

Since the 4th century, after the funeral rite, the Popes have generally been buried in the Vatican, with exceptions: reasons of convenience, particular requests of the pontiff, and even practical concerns.  

Among Peter's 265 successors, 30 were buried outside of the Vatican. 

Pope Francis, in his spiritual testament also chose not to be buried in the Vatican. He expressed his wish to be laid to rest in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major.  

The last pope before him not to be buried in St. Peters was Pope Leo XIII, who requested interment at Saint John Lateran. 

Father Roberto Regoli, Director of the Department on History of the Church at the Pontifical Gregorian University, explains:

“The tradition of burying popes in St. Peter's does not date back to the beginning of Christianity. We know nothing about the burials of the first two centuries.

“The first popes up to the 5th century are buried in the catacombs or some surface monuments. Leo the Great is the first Pope to be buried in Saint Peter’s. From that period on, we have burials scattered throughout the churches of Rome, and then from the end of the 5th century until the 10th century, burials mainly at St. Peter's.

“The bishop of Rome is buried where he dies. Bishops who die in Rome are buried in Rome. Sometimes, they are also brought to Rome when death occurs outside.”

Pope Francis chose the Basilica of Saint Mary Major for his burial because of his deep personal bond with it. He often prayed before the icon of the Salus Populi Romani, especially before and after each apostolic journey. He visited the basilica on the very first day of his pontificate. His final visit occurred on April 12, 2025, just days before his passing, when he prayed before the icon on the eve of Holy Week. His connection to Saint Mary Major was also rooted in his Jesuit identity—it was there that Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, celebrated his first Mass. 

Pope Francis will not be the first Pope to be buried in Saint Mary Major. The basilica contains the tombs of Honorius III, Nicholas IV, St. Pius V, Sixtus V, Paul V, Clement VIII and Clement IX.

Father Regoli adds:

“In the first two centuries, burial is necessarily where the cemeteries are. And the cemeteries are the catacombs that we know today. Afterward, starting in the third century, we have burials on the surface. The first criterion is that of practicality. Where there is a cemetery, the body of the Bishop of Rome must be laid to rest. Over time, we realize that the Bishop of Rome is a special person; therefore, we have burials in which all the bishops of Rome are placed together, a holy place par excellence."

The Vatican Grottoes and St. Peter's Basilica house the remains of 90 pontiffs. 

What other churches in Rome house the bodies of the Popes? 

About 90 popes are buried in St. Peter's Basilica (21 in the Vatican grottos). St. John Lateran is the cathedral of the Pope in Rome. It is no surprise that many Popes wanted to be buried there. 22 in fact. There are seven in Saint Mary Major, five in the Basilica of Saint Mary of Minerva, five at the Basilica of Saint Lawrence outside the Walls, three at St. Paul Outside the Walls, and one in the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles.

Among the popes who are not buried in Rome, we can name Gregory XII (1406-1415) — the last pope before Benedict XVI to abdicate and who is buried in the Cathedral of Recanati, in the Marche; Benedict XII and John XXII in Avignon; Saint Celestine V (who died in 1294 after abdicating) in the Basilica of Collemaggio in L'Aquila and whose tomb was visited by Pope Benedict XVI before his own resignation in 2013; Blessed Gregory X in Arezzo; Saint Gregory VII in Salerno; and   in Cinto Euganeo, in the Veneto. 

Pope Francis had decided that he would be laid to rest in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, a choice that slightly altered the traditional funeral rites. At the conclusion of the funeral, his body was not taken to the Vatican Grottoes, as is customary. Instead, the procession moved toward Saint Mary Major for his burial.  

What is, in the end, the meaning of the burial of a Pope? 

Father Regoli answers:

“During the first centuries many bishops of Rome are dubbed as saints. When we move into the second millennium, we lose the recognition of the sanctity of the Popes. This recognition has been resumed in recent times. If we look at the twentieth-century popes, most of them were declared saints.

“The concept of the Pope changes. When does the veneration of the Popes return? In the 19th century, after the French Revolution, two Popes, Pius VI, and Pius VII, were arrested and deported into exile.

“Pius VI even dies as a prisoner in Valence, France. Pius VII is a prisoner of Napoleon for five years. And at that moment, the images, the engravings of the imprisoned Popes, begin to circulate.

“This image also continues in the second half of the 19th century, when Pius IX, with the arrival of the Italian government in Rome and the Breach of Porta Pia that led to the seizure of Rome by the newborn Italian kingdom considers himself a prisoner in the Vatican. At that point, what happens? Catholic pilgrims to Rome do not simply come to venerate the tomb of Peter or the tomb of the ancient Roman martyrs, but they come to meet the Pope. And so we come to our days when we also talk about the Papa Boys, the World Youth Days, in which devotion to the Pope, not only dead but living, has become a constitutive element of current Catholicism, a characterizing element.”

In his spiritual testament, Pope Francis requested a simple burial in the earth at Saint Mary Major. This beloved basilica will now stand as a place of pilgrimage, in memory of a pope marked by humility and profound devotion to the Blessed Virgin.

Live Updates following the Pope's Passing

Adapted by Jacob Stein

Camera by Alberto Basile, Fabio Gonnella; Video Edited by Giada D’Ottavi