Over 70,000 Mourners Visit Pope Francis’s Tomb in Rome

Rome: Over 70,000 mourners have already paid homage to Pope Francis by visiting his tomb in the Basilica of St Mary Major, Rome police said on Monday. The Argentine pontiff, who passed away at the age of 88 on April 21 after 12 years leading the Catholic Church, was laid to rest at the basilica on Saturday following his funeral in St Peter’s Square. The tomb was opened to the public for visitation on Sunday.

According to Ansa News Agency, Pope Francis had a special fondness for Saint Mary Major, frequently visiting the basilica to pray before and after his apostolic journeys. In his testament, he expressed his wish to be buried there, rather than in St Peter’s, where most other popes have been laid to rest.

On the day of his funeral, over 150,000 people lined the streets of Rome to pay their last respects as his coffin was transported from St. Peter’s Square to Saint Mary Major in a popemobile. Approximately 250,000 people gathered in St Peter’s Square and its surroundings for the funeral ceremony, bringing the total number of mourners to around 400,000.