By Jo Briscoe
Pope Franciscus
Pope Franciscus, our late Pontiff, was determined to appear in St. Peter’s Square after Mass in defiance of the advice of doctors and aides - he may even have known that it was his last opportunity to do so, as Vatican observers have said!
It is with great sadness that we have experienced the death of our Pope Francis, early on the morning following Easter Sunday! Pope Francis died, aged 88, from a stroke which led to heart failure. This arose after touring in St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday.
Pope Francis in Prato: Wikimedia Commons
Pope Francis will be buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (one of four Papal Basilicas in Rome). “The place is already prepared”, as Pope Francis himself stated about two years ago! He had asked to be buried “in the ground, without particular decoration” but with the inscription “Franciscus”, the Vatican has said. He had a very deep bond with the Virgin Mary and had promised her that he would be buried there. His dedication to the Mother of Christ was so strong that Francis visited there 125 times during his Papacy, almost immediately after his election in 2013 and then again before and after every foreign trip, bringing flowers each time.
After his long hospitalisation in February and March, this church was his first stop and he visited a second time before his death.
In his Will, Pope Francis said his only wish in death was to be
Pastoral Visit of Pope Francis to Korea Closing Mass for Asian Youth Day August 17, 2014 Haemi Castle: Wikipedia
entombed at the church dedicated to the Virgin Mary which sits atop Rome’s Esquiline Hill.
The British Ambassador, Chris Trott, said he was “saddened and shocked” to hear of the death. “He was the Pope
from the ends of the earth who worked tirelessly to build bridges of hope, dialogue and peace,” he said. “His legacy will continue to endure.”
Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore: By Jean-Pol Grandmont: Wikipedia
Pope Francis: Arundel and Brighton Diocese website image