126 Visits in twelve years
Over the twelve years of his papacy, Pope Francis prayed before the Salus Populi Romani icon 126 times. His first visit was on 14 March 2013, the day after his election; his last was on 12 April 2025, just before Holy Week. He made these visits before and after every apostolic journey, and also during his four hospitalizations at Gemelli Hospital - twice in 2023, once in 2021, and the most recent, his longest, from 14 February to 23 March 2025. The Pope even had the icon brought to St. Peter’s Square for the special prayer service during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on 27 March 2020.
At a crossroads of pilgrimage
On Saturday 26 April Pope Francis will return to rest in that same Liberian church, the smallest of the four papal basilicas, the only one never destroyed, the only one dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and the oldest such dedication in the Western Church. Its proximity to Rome’s Termini train station, a hub of constant human movement, mirrors Francis’ outward-reaching papacy, one always on the move, always seeking out the marginalized.
On 23 March 2025, after being discharged from the hospital, Pope Francis handed Cardinal Makrickas a bouquet of flowers to place before the Salus Populi Romani.
A Jesuit’s final home
This is the same Basilica where Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, the order Pope Francis belonged to, celebrated his first Christmas Mass in 1538. It also houses the relic of the Holy Cradle that tradition says held the infant Jesus. Now, it will hold the remains of Jorge Mario Bergoglio. He had already made this known in a December 2023 interview: “I want to be buried in Saint Mary Major. The place is ready,” he said, emphasizing his deep devotion to the Blessed Mother, a devotion he held even before becoming Pope. “Whenever I came to Rome, I always went there on Sunday mornings. There’s a strong bond,” the Pope shared. In 2023, he honored the icon with a symbolic “Golden Rose.”
Feast of Our Lady of Fatima
The Pope’s decision took shape gradually. Cardinal Makrickas revealed that it all began during a meeting on 13 May 2022, the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, when they were discussing structural work on the Pauline Chapel. “I asked him, since he visited the Basilica so often, if he had considered being buried there,” the Cardinal recalled. Initially, the Pope declined, noting that Popes are usually buried in St. Peter’s. “But a week later, he called me and said, ‘The Madonna told me: Prepare your tomb.’ And then he added that he was happy because ‘She hasn’t forgotten me.’” The Pope then instructed, “Find a place for my tomb. I want to be buried here.”
Between the Pauline and Sforza chapels
From the beginning, the Pope said he did not want to be buried inside the Pauline Chapel, where the icon is displayed, “because the faithful who come there should pray to the Lord and venerate the Madonna, not look at a Pope’s tomb,” Cardinal Makrickas explained. So the tomb was prepared in a side aisle, between the Pauline and Sforza chapels, one of the basilica’s earliest additions. “This spot seemed especially fitting because it’s near the altar of Saint Francis,” said the Cardinal, “making it truly ideal.”
Under the loving gaze of Mary
Back when he was still a Monsignor and the special commissioner of the Liberian Chapter, the late Pope gave instructions for the tomb’s appearance, as reflected in his testament: “He wanted a simple and humble tomb, like his life,” Cardinal Makrickas emphasized. The grave bears only his name, Franciscus, and an enlarged reproduction of his pectoral cross. The tomb is made from Ligurian stone, the same region as his mother’s ancestors.
A simple and basic style
“This is not an artistic tomb,” the Cardinal clarified, “but a simple and basic one.” Pope Francis also requested that no structural changes be made, so the historic stone slab above the tomb remains untouched. Interestingly, during Medieval times, it was believed this exact spot once held the Salus Populi Romani icon.
Seven other popes are already buried in the Basilica, including Nicholas IV, the first Franciscan Pope; Pius V, the first Dominican Pope; and now Francis, the first Jesuit Pope. The last to be buried there before him was Clement IX in 1669.
Now the remains of Pope Francis, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, will rest beside the icon of the Heavenly Mother under her loving gaze.
