This is where Pope Francis could be buried: a chapel between two confessionals that is currently closed. It is located in the left wing of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, close to the Salus Populi Romani, the patron saint of Rome who Pope Francis has a great devotion to.
On March 15, 2020, at the height of the pandemic, the Pope left the Vatican to pray to Our Lady and ask for her intercession for the victims of the coronavirus and for all those affected. He also wanted her image to be present during the Urbi et Orbi blessing he extended in the middle of the pandemic, in front of a completely empty St. Peter's Square.
St. Mary Major is one of the four papal basilicas in Rome. It became the temporary seat of the Popes until the residence was moved to the Vatican.
In fact, 92 of the 264 popes are buried outside St. Peter's. Specifically, in St. Mary Major, seven popes are buried, among them, Pope Clement VIII and Pius V.
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