Shafaqna English– Thousands of mourners visit Pope Francis tomb in Rome. On Sunday (27 Apr 2025) queues were seen at the tomb, which opened to the public on the second of nine days of official mourning, with a conclave to select his successor expected between May 5 and May 10.
Outside St Mary Major Basilica, ushers urged visitors to keep moving to allow the steady stream of people a chance to bid farewell. The Argentinian pontiff, who died on April 21 aged 88, was laid to rest in a modest white marble tomb near an icon of the Madonna that he deeply revered.
“For me, Pope Francis was an inspiration, a guide,” said Elias Caravalhal, a Rome resident who missed the lying-in-state at St Peter’s Basilica but came to offer thanks at the tomb, told The Associated Press news agency.
Polish pilgrim Maria Brzezinska, reflecting on the simplicity of the site, said: “It’s exactly the way of the Pope. He was simple, and so is his place now.”
Breaking with a century-old tradition, Francis chose to be buried outside the Vatican, selecting the multicultural heart of Rome as his final resting place.