The Vatican released details of Pope Francis' will on Monday, hours after the 88-year-old leader of the Catholic Church died following a prolonged illness.
The Vatican stated that Francis' will was written on June 29, 2022, providing direction for his funeral and burial. In the will, Pope Francis called for a "simple" tomb "without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus."
Pope Francis expressed a desire for his remains to rest in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major.
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He requested that his tomb be placed in the side aisle between the Pauline Chapel (Chapel of the Salus Populi Romani) and the Sforza Chapel of the Basilica.
"I wish my final earthly journey to end precisely in this ancient Marian sanctuary, where I would always stop to pray at the beginning and end of every Apostolic Journey, confidently entrusting my intentions to the Immaculate Mother, and giving thanks for her gentle and maternal care," Francis wrote in 2022.
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Francis' will indicated that the cost of preparing his burial would be covered by a benefactor, whom he arranged to pay the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major.
"May the Lord grant a fitting reward to all those who have loved me and who continue to pray for me. The suffering that has marked the final part of my life, I offer to the Lord, for peace in the world and for fraternity among peoples," he concluded in his will.
Francis is set to lie in state from Wednesday through his Saturday morning funeral in St. Peter’s Basilica. His funeral will be held in St. Peter's Square.
