A lifetime devoted to humility, and a final gesture that reflects his soul. As the entire world mourns Pope Francis, his unveiled testament is as touching as it is inspiring. In a final message imbued with gentleness and faith, he breaks with the Vatican’s centuries-old traditions.
But where will the man who preached love for the humblest be laid to rest? The answer might surprise you…
The departure of a pope close to the people
Easter Monday will be remembered as the day Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now Francis, took his last breath. At the age of 88, struck down by a stroke, he died in the Vatican, surrounded by his closest collaborators.
True to his spiritual journey, he chose to remain until the end the shepherd among his sheep, and not the sovereign enthroned above them.
A testament that overturns Vatican traditions
Written on June 29, 2022 , his will reads like a whispered prayer in an old Roman church.
He does not mention power or pomp, but only one wish: the place of his eternal rest.
To everyone’s surprise, he asked not to be buried in St. Peter’s Basilica, where most of his predecessors are buried. Instead, Francis chose a discreet but meaningful place: the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, a Marian shrine in the heart of Rome.
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