Religion
St. Mary Major church: Tomb of Pope Francis opens to public
Hundreds of people queued to visit the tomb of the late Pope Francis at the St. Mary Major church in Rome on Sunday.
Mourners began lining up to visit the tomb of the late Pope Francis at the St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome on Sunday.
The church, where the late pope is buried in a simple underground tomb, in keeping with his wishes, opened its doors to the faithful at 7 a.m. Vatican time (0500 GMT).
While many of his predecessors are buried at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, Francis chose the basilica because he revered it, oftentimes visiting before and after trips abroad or hospital stays.
Francis became the first pontiff in over a century to be buried outside the grounds of the Vatican, when he was laid to rest in a private ceremony.
St. Mary Major is a pontifical basilica, one of four in Rome, with history dating back to the fifth century.
© Claudia Greco/REUTERS
St. Mary Major is a pontifical basilica, one of four in Rome, with history dating back to the fifth century.© Claudia Greco/REUTERS