Vatican officials have released the contents of Pope Francis’ will, revealing his specific wishes for burial just hours after his passing.
Vatican City was enveloped in solemnity on Monday morning, April 21, 2025, as Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88 following complications from a cerebral stroke that led to heart failure.
“Feeling that the sunset of my earthly life is approaching and with lively hope in the Eternal Life, I wish to express my testamentary will only with regard to the place of my Burial,” the document opens, setting the tone for a humble and deeply spiritual farewell.
Penned in June 2022, the will reveals the pope’s personal desire to break from the tradition of his predecessors.
Rather than resting beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis requested to be laid to rest in the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore—an ancient Roman sanctuary deeply dear to him.
“I have always entrusted my life and the priestly and episcopal ministry to the Mother of Our Lord, Mary Most Holy. Therefore, I ask that my mortal remains rest waiting for the day of the resurrection in the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore,” the pope declared in the document.
Preferring a modest final resting place, Francis directed that his body be buried in the earth with minimal fanfare.
“I ask that my tomb be prepared in the hole of the aisle between the Pauline Chapel (Chapel of the Salus Populi Romani) and the Sforza Chapel of the aforementioned Papal Basilica as Indicated in the attached annex,” he stated.
He also specified that the burial be marked by a simple inscription: “Franciscus.” No elaborate decorum was desired.
Moreover, Francis had made financial arrangements to cover his burial costs through a benefactor. “I have arranged, to be transferred to the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and of which I have provided to give Appropriate instructions to Mons. Rolandas Makrickas, Extraordinary Commissioner of the Chapter Liberian,” the document reads.
As his testament nears its end, Francis left a touching message to those he served and those who stood by him through his life’s journey, “May the Lord give the well-deserved reward to those who have loved me and will continue to pray For me. The suffering that was made in the last part of my life I offered to the Lord For peace in the world and brotherhood among peoples,” he wrote.
The Vatican’s top health official, Dr. Andrea Arcangeli, confirmed that the pontiff slipped into a coma before succumbing to irreversible cardiocollapse at 7:35 a.m. in his apartment at Domus Santa Marta.
“I certify that His Holiness Francesco (Jorge Mario Bergoglio) born in Buenos Aires (Argentina) on December 17, 1936, Resident in Vatican City, Vatican Citizen, died at 7.35 am on April 21, 2025, in his apartment at the Domus Santa Marta (Vatican City) of: Brain stroke, coma, and irreversible cardiocollaspe,” Arcangeli reported.
Francis had been battling health issues for years, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and a long-term respiratory condition. He also had half of one lung removed in his youth and had recently been treated for bilateral pneumonia. Despite these challenges, he continued to fulfill his papal duties until his final weeks.
His last public appearance was on Easter Sunday, April 13, during Palm Sunday Mass at St. Peter’s Square, where he greeted thousands of faithful.
Elected as the first Jesuit pope on March 13, 2013, Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, leaves behind a legacy marked by humility, compassion, and a deep commitment to social justice and the marginalized.
