The Pauline Chapel where "Salus Populi Romani" is. Photo credit: McKenna Snow
VATICAN CITY // In a solemn ceremony, the late Pope Francis was buried at St. Mary Major Basilica on the afternoon of April 26, following his funeral Mass in St. Peter’s Square.
People lined the streets all along the designated three-mile route from the Vatican to the Basilica, paying final tributes as the popemobile bearing the casket and motorcade passed by.
The route also passed beside the Colosseum, which, 2,000 years ago, was used for brutal anti-Christian persecution. Today, the site stands as a landmark associated with the heroic martyrs from the Catholic Church’s earliest years – and today, the Church prayed for the repose of the soul of her 266th pope.
After passing through the streets of Rome and arriving at the basilica, the casket was carried inside by 14 pallbearers in procession along with a number of cardinals, religious, and several children. A small group of people holding white roses were present on the steps on the basilica at this time as well. CatholicVote was unable to confirm at the time of publication whether – as reports previously indicated – poor persons, inmates, and persons who claim to be “transgender” were among those present.
The procession walked down through the main floor of the basilica, which just one day before had been filled with many rows of chairs. By April 26 it had been totally cleared, allowing the pallbearers an open pathway straight towards the Pauline side chapel, home to a Marian icon that Pope Francis had prayed before over a hundred times throughout his pontificate.
The pallbearers stopped right outside the entrance to the chapel while four children carrying baskets of white roses entered.
The children placed the baskets at the altar, above which hangs the Marian icon “Salus Populi Romani” (“Salvation of the Roman People”). Pope Francis had visited this icon the day after he was elected pope in 2013 and would pray often before it especially when he made Apostolic journeys. He also placed flowers before Our Lady’s image numerous times.
After the children placed the baskets of flowers on the altar, the pallbearers turned to the left and carried the casket over to the tomb, located between two confessionals on the wall of the basilica. There, he was laid to rest.
Though he had loved going into the Pauline chapel, Pope Francis did not want his tomb to be inside it.
Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, the co-Archpriest of the basilica, explained April 25 that Pope Francis’ reasoning for this was “because chapels are for celebrations, for the Eucharist, and especially for the icon of Salus Populi Romani, and people should come here to pray and venerate Mary, and not look to the former pope.”
The pope instead chose the small alcove on the wall beside the chapel, where the faithful can stop and pray as they walk down the corridor.
The cardinals will go to the basilica tomorrow at 4 pm local time to pray at the tomb and will conclude with Vespers in the Pauline chapel.
Today marked the first day of Novemdiales, the Church’s traditional nine days of mourning the death of a pope. Masses will be said each day of the mourning period, offered for the repose of the Holy Father’s soul.
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