Today, millions of people will watch the funeral of Pope Francis taking place at the Vatican. The ceremony, expected to be attended by thousands of people and world leaders including Prime Minister Keir Starmer and United States president Donald Trump, will take place outdoors, in front of the Saint Peter’s Basilica. Afterwards, the Pope’s remains will be buried in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major where he will have a simple burial, as per his wishes set out in his testament: “The tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus.”
These are the final wishes of a modest man who, despite his apparent simplicity, played a gargantuan role in reshaping his Church, while rejuvenating the meaning of faith in the lives of believers and non-believers alike.
A working-class Argentinian man who grew up in a Buenos Aires barrio where he had prostituted women and immigrants as neighbours, Pope Francis witnessed poverty and hardship firsthand.
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