Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on December 17, 1936 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church. He was the first Pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit to be elected Pope; the name “Francis” was chosen as a symbol of poverty, peace and love for creation in honor of the Saint of Assisi. And so it was also for the will expressed for his burial near the altar of Saint Francis in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, in the left side aisle, between the Pauline Chapel and the Sforza Chapel. This desire for a sober burial was expressed in his will of June 29, 2022.
His tomb is a simple marble slab with the inscription “Franciscus” and only features the reproduction of his pectoral cross. Bergoglio is the son of Italian immigrants, entered the Jesuit Society in 1958, ordained a priest in 1969, and held various roles as rector, professor and religious superior. He became auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires in 1992 and then archbishop in 1998. He was appointed cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2001.
His election as pope took place after the succession to Benedict XVI, when the conclave elected him pope on March 13, 2013. He was a great figure for the Church: a pope who stood out for his simple style and for his attention to the poor, to dialogue with other religions and to social justice as well as to reform of the Roman Curia. It is also important to remember his call to “Mercy” as he himself wanted during the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in 2015-2016. Finally, let us remember that as unusual as it may seem to us, there are over seventy popes buried outside the Vatican and thirty of them even far from Rome. Seven popes, like Pope Francis, have chosen the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore as their place of eternal burial. Link: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/biography/documents/papa-francesco-biografia-bergoglio.html