Pope Francis is Laid to Rest at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major

Rome – 26 April 2025

Under a sky brushed by the quiet sorrow of a mourning Church, the mortal remains of His Holiness Pope Francis were laid to rest in the embrace of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. A day steeped in reverence, prayer, and memory unfolded as hundreds of thousands gathered to offer their last farewell to a shepherd who had walked humbly with the People of God.

The Funeral Mass was held in St. Peter’s Square, where over 400,000 faithful, bishops, cardinals, and heads of state stood in solemn communion. His Eminence Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, presided over the Holy Eucharist, his voice weaving through the crowds like a steady thread of hope and remembrance. In the simplicity of the ritual and the grandeur of the gathered Church, the spirit of Pope Francis’s life was laid bare: one marked by mercy, humility, and a fervent love for Christ.

The Final Liturgy Offered at St. Peter’s Square

At ten o’clock in the morning, under the open skies of Rome, the simple wooden coffin of Pope Francis emerged from the great doors of St. Peter’s Basilica. Marked only by a cross, it bore witness to the profound humility that had defined his pontificate. As it was carried to the centre of the Square, the gathered multitude broke into a gentle, sustained applause, not in triumph, but in thanksgiving.

Cardinal Re’s homily drew upon the Gospel reading in which the Risen Christ asked Peter, “Do you love me?” With words laden with tenderness, he spoke of Pope Francis’s faithful echo of that ancient reply: “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” He recalled a life poured out in service, a pontificate rooted not in dominion but in discipleship. From his earliest days to his final Easter blessing, Pope Francis bore the Cross with the serene joy that springs from faith.

Scripture passages from Acts, Philippians, Psalm 22, and the Gospel of John enfolded the funeral in sacred memory, reminding the Church of the path Pope Francis had trodden: that of the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep.

The Funeral Procession Winding Through the Heart of Rome

Following the Mass, the funeral procession began. In a gesture deeply evocative of early Christian funerals, Pope Francis’s coffin was carried across the Eternal City — past the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Piazza Venezia. The popemobile moved slowly, accompanied by the silent prayers of over 150,000 people who lined the streets.

The crowd offered farewells that were tender rather than grand: whispered prayers, hands over hearts, soft chants of “Viva il Papa!” Colourful balloons bearing the Holy Father’s image floated over the city’s ancient skyline, a humble tribute to the Pope who had given the world not monuments, but mercy.

The Final Resting Place at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major

At approximately one o’clock in the afternoon, the procession arrived at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, the Marian sanctuary Pope Francis had visited more than one hundred times during his pontificate. As the coffin was raised before the Basilica’s doors, it was turned towards the venerated icon of Maria Salus Populi Romani, fulfilling the Pope’s final earthly wish: to gaze once more upon the Mother of God.

Within the Basilica, the Rite of Burial was conducted in private, presided over by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church. The prayers of commendation were offered; the coffin was sprinkled with holy water; and the Marian antiphon, Regina Caeli, was sung with voices trembling in their affection.

The simple tomb, located between the Pauline and Sforza Chapels, bears but a single word: Franciscus. No dates, no titles — only the name he chose to embody: the name of the poor man of Assisi.

The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church Joins in the Final Farewell

The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, rooted in the ancient tradition of the West Syriac Rite, stood united with the Universal Church in mourning the passing of the Holy Father. His Eminent Beatitude Cardinal Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis Catholicos, Major Archbishop-Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, was present at the Funeral Mass, representing the communion of East and West that Pope Francis so deeply cherished.

Cardinal Cleemis, along with several Syro-Malankara priests, religious Sisters, and faithful who had travelled to Rome, participated with profound devotion in the sacred rites. Together with other Eastern Catholic patriarchs and major archbishops, His Beatitude approached the late Pontiff’s coffin and joined in chanting the ancient hymn “Christos Anesti” — “Christ is Risen” — in Greek. This solemn hymn, echoing the hope of the Resurrection, proclaimed the unity of the Church beyond all rites and tongues.

Back home in Kerala, at St. Mary’s Major Archbishop’s Cathedral, Pattom, the Syro-Malankara Church gathered in prayer, incense rising like a silent song to heaven. In the sacred presence of Cardinal Cleemis, and joined by His Excellency Most Rev. Dr. Mathews Mor Polycarpos and His Excellency Most Rev. Dr. Mathews Mor Pachomios, priests, Sisters, and lay faithful lifted their hearts in solemn remembrance, offering Holy Qurbono and the incense prayer for the repose of the Pope’s soul.

In these acts, quiet yet profound, the Syro-Malankara Church bore faithful witness to the bond that ties the See of Peter to the Churches of the East: a bond of prayer, fidelity, and love.

A Pope Remembered for Mercy and Simplicity

Throughout his twelve-year pontificate, Pope Francis became a living icon of Christ’s mercy. His journeys to the peripheries — from the refugees of Lesbos to the war-scarred plains of Iraq — bore witness to a heart that beat for the broken and the forgotten. His first journey as Pope to the migrants of Lampedusa and his last great pilgrimage to Asia-Oceania traced the arc of a shepherd who never ceased to seek the lost.

He opened the Jubilee of Mercy, proclaimed the Gospel of joy, and reminded the Church that she must be a field hospital, tending to the wounds of humanity. His words were simple yet radiant with Gospel power. His acts of kindness, often unseen, were the seeds of a hidden greatness.

He lived and died with the Beatitudes inscribed upon his heart.

The Church Enters the Days of the Novemdiales

Now, as tradition dictates, the Church enters the sacred period of the Novemdiales: nine days of mourning and prayer for the repose of the Pope’s soul. Each day, a cardinal will preside over a Requiem Mass, leading the Church in her ancient act of love for her departed shepherd.

As incense rises daily before the Altar of the Confession, so too does the silent prayer of the faithful across continents. In every Holy Qurbono offered in the Syro-Malankara Church, in every whispered “Our Father,” and in every tearful Ave Maria, the memory of Pope Francis shall live.

In Gratitude and in Hope

The memory of Pope Francis is not engraved merely in stone, but in the hearts of those he touched: the poor, the prisoner, the refugee, the unborn, the aged, the wounded in spirit.

He leaves behind no monuments of earthly grandeur, but the living memory of a Church called anew to mercy, joy, and simplicity.

And so we, the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, in communion with the Universal Church, pray with hearts uplifted in hope:

“Dear Pope Francis, you asked us never to forget to pray for you. We now entrust you to the mercy you preached and lived. Bless the Church, bless Rome, bless the world from the eternal embrace of the Risen Christ.”

Franciscus, rest now in the peace of the Good Shepherd whom you loved unto the end.