Cardinals attending Pope Francis's funeral at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican on April 26, 2025. (Credit: Tiziana Fabi/AFP)
Beginning Sunday morning, visitors will be able to pay their respects at the tomb of Pope Francis, who was buried Saturday in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major following a grand funeral, opening the way for negotiations over the succession of the Argentine Jesuit.
Francis, who died Easter Monday at the age of 88, was buried during a private ceremony in the basilica, a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary where he prayed before and after each trip abroad. His tomb, located in a side aisle, bears only the Latin inscription "Franciscus." A Mass in his honor, presided over by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's former secretary of state, will be celebrated at 8:30 a.m. GMT Sunday in St. Peter’s Square, before cardinals gather at the tomb.
Following the funeral of Jorge Bergoglio — the first South American pope — which drew more than 400,000 people, the Vatican entered a nine-day mourning period known as the novemdiales. Daily celebrations will continue at St. Peter’s through May 4.
The 135 cardinal electors — those under the age of 80 — could meet in conclave the following day to privately select the next head of the Catholic Church inside the Sistine Chapel. The date of the conclave may be announced Monday after a fifth "general congregation," a preparatory meeting of cardinals, both electors and non-electors.
Under Vatican rules, the conclave must begin between the 15th and 20th day after the pope’s death — between May 5 and May 10. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich said it would "probably" start May 5 or 6, while German Cardinal Reinhard Marx estimated it would last "a few days."
Popular fervor
"Let’s wait for the results of the upcoming conclave. Let’s trust the cardinals, who are inspired by the Holy Spirit," said Ezequiel Castro, a 16-year-old Argentine who traveled to attend Francis’ funeral.
A sea of mourners filled St. Peter’s Square and lined the streets of Rome during the procession to Saint Mary Major to honor "the pope close to the people, with an open heart for all," Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said in his homily. The ceremony, attended by heads of state and foreign dignitaries, was punctuated by rounds of applause, both as Francis’ coffin arrived and departed, and during passages recalling his legacy: championing a Church "as a home for all" and advocating for refugees and displaced people, Cardinal Re said.
The coffin was transported from the Vatican atop an uncovered white popemobile with a transparent roof to the basilica in the center of Rome. Thousands gathered to welcome the late pope to his final resting place, including Romina Cacciatore, an Argentine living in Italy, who expressed concern about the future.
"He was the pope of the world, the people. He made the Church more normal, more human," said Cacciatore, 48, a translator, adding she felt "anxiety" about what will come after Francis.
Break or continuity?
"We are worried. We hope the next pope will continue the foundations left by Pope Francis," said Evelyn Villalta, 74, from Guatemala.
"It was very important for me to come because he is a pope who marked our generation," said Marine De Parcevaux, 21, a French student from Lyon. "All the advances he made on ecology, youth, and homosexuality gave us hope for the future. It was good to have a more modern voice in the Church."
Francis, a former archbishop of Buenos Aires known for his defense of the underprivileged, stood in sharp contrast to his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian more reserved in public. His personality also differed from the charismatic, athletic, and immensely popular Polish Pope John Paul II.
Though Francis appointed a majority of the cardinals who will elect his successor, experts caution that there is no guarantee the next pope will follow the same reformist path.