Pope Francis has been laid to rest in Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome

By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu

After a solemn Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, watched by world leaders, royals, and thousands of mourners, his casket was quietly taken to its final place.

This marks the first time in over a century that a pope has been buried outside Vatican grounds.

Close friends and members of the Church gathered for the private burial, honoring his personal wish to rest near the sacred icon of Maria Salus Populi Romani in the Pauline Chapel.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, during the funeral, remembered Francis as a bridge-builder — a man who reached hearts and minds with compassion.

Francis passed away at 88 on Easter Monday, following a stroke, coma, and heart failure. His death was officially confirmed by electrocardiographic thanatography.

He had earlier recovered from pneumonia in February, but his health quietly declined in the weeks that followed.

Now, as he wished, he sleeps beneath Mary’s watchful gaze.