Pope Francis Laid to Rest Outside Vatican

Pope Francis has been laid to rest in Rome, bringing to a close a significant chapter in the history of the Roman Catholic Church.

Breaking with a century-old tradition, the Pope was buried outside the Vatican at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore — one of Rome’s most revered churches. Francis had expressed a deep personal connection to the basilica, which he frequently visited for prayer, and had wished to be laid to rest there.

The head of the Roman Catholic Church passed away on Easter Monday at the age of 88, following a prolonged battle with bilateral pneumonia.

On Saturday, Catholic faithful, world leaders, politicians, and members of royalty from across the globe gathered at St. Peter’s Basilica to pay their final respects to the beloved pontiff.

Pope Francis was interred in a simple wooden casket lined with zinc, in accordance with his wish to forgo the elaborate burial traditions of previous popes, who were entombed in three nested coffins made of cypress, lead, and oak.

The requiem mass was presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, alongside patriarchs, archbishops, bishops, and priests from around the world.

Following the burial, the Church will observe a nine-day mourning period, after which the College of Cardinals will convene to elect a new pope.

Dignitaries in attendance included U.S. President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Prince William.

Representing Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu dispatched a delegation led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio. The delegation also included Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria; Matthew Kukah, Bishop of the Sokoto Diocese; and Ignatius Ayua Kaigama, Archbishop of the Abuja Diocese.

The delegation is scheduled to formally present a condolence letter from President Tinubu to the acting head of the Vatican.