Numerous Believers Flock to the Tomb of Pope Francis

After the grand funeral service in St. Peter's Square on Saturday, Pope Francis was buried in a private ceremony in the Marian church. "With his arrival in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, the last journey of our beloved Holy Father Francis has ended," declared Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, Archpriest of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, at the beginning of the rosary prayer on Saturday evening in the Marian church.

After the Burial of Pope Francis: Cardinal Secretary of State Parolin Celebrates Sunday Mass

"The Pope walked between two wings of believers who paid him their last respects and wanted to express their full affection. In our hearts, we keep the memory of his fruitful work in the Church and for the Church. The Church he loved and served until his last breath," emphasized the Cardinal. Many believers and prelates participated in the rosary prayer on the forecourt of the basilica. The Marian icon of "Salus Populi Romani," before which the Pope had often prayed, was placed in front of the entrance of the basilica.

The cardinals gathered in Rome also want to visit the grave on Sunday. Before that, however, they celebrated a mass at 10:30 AM in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, attended by 200,000 people. This was led by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who was Cardinal Secretary of State under Francis and thus the number two in the Vatican. St. Peter's Square was filled with tens of thousands of people, also because the mass took place on the day of the Youth Jubilee, one of the most anticipated jubilee events of this Holy Year, for which over 80,000 young people from Italy and various countries around the world have registered.

"The first image that the Gospel offers us this Sunday can also well represent the state of mind of all of us, of the Church, and of the whole world. The shepherd that the Lord gave to his people, Pope Francis, has ended his earthly life and left us. The mourning over his departure, the feeling of sadness that overwhelms us, the unrest we feel in our hearts, the feeling of confusion: We experience all this like the apostles who mourn the death of the Lord," described Cardinal Parolin the mourning over the death of Pope Francis. "And yet the Gospel tells us that the Lord comes to us with the light of the resurrection in these moments of darkness to enlighten our hearts," he added. "Pope Francis has reminded us of this since his election and has often repeated it to us by placing the joy of the Gospel at the center of his pontificate," explained Parolin.

Canonization Postponed After Death of Pope Francis

On this Sunday, the canonization of the Italian youth Carlo Acutis was supposed to take place, which had to be canceled due to the death of Francis. The mass in St. Peter's Basilica will be celebrated for nine consecutive days, starting with the funeral mass, which was celebrated on Saturday in St. Peter's Square by Cardinal Dean Giovanni Battista Re. The next masses will be celebrated daily at 5 PM in St. Peter's Basilica until May 4th.

Pope Francis had not chosen St. Peter's Basilica, but the papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore as his final resting place. The Argentine had often prayed there before the icon of the Holy Virgin. The inscription on the grave simply bears his Latin papal name "Franciscus." Francis is only the eighth head of the Roman Catholic Church whose mortal remains are interred in this church, and the first since Clement IX in 1669. Since 1903, all popes had been buried in the magnificent St. Peter's Basilica.

Rome's Mayor Expects Numerous Believers in the Coming Weeks

Rome's Mayor Roberto Gualtieri has given a positive assessment of the organization of Pope Francis's funeral, in which delegations from around the world participated. The capital expects a strong influx of pilgrims in the weeks following the conclave. The interest in Francis's successor will attract a large number of pilgrims to Rome, Gualtieri explained.

3,000 security forces and 1,000 helpers were deployed this weekend due to the Pope's funeral on Saturday and the youth jubilee on Sunday. The city expects a strong influx of pilgrims to the Pope's grave in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in the coming weeks. "In recent days, the number of visitors to the Marian Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore has already increased tenfold. This influx will continue. This testifies to the great love of the Romans and the faithful for Pope Francis," said the mayor.

(APA/Red)

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