“I want to be buried in St. Mary Major,” Francis said. “Because of my great devotion.”
Pope Francis would be the first pope to be buried outside of the Vatican’s grotto crypt in St. Peter’s Basilica in more than a century. (Pope Leo XIII was buried in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran in 1903.)
The last pope to have been buried in St. Mary Major was Clement IX, who died in 1669. He is one of six popes buried in the Marian basilica.
Pope Francis has made more than 100 visits to the Basilica of St. Mary Major since becoming pope. He visits the basilica to venerate the icon known as the “Salus Populi Romani” — “Mary, Protection of the Roman People” — before and after every international trip. Recently, Pope Francis placed a Golden Rose before the icon on Dec. 8.
In the interview, Francis recalled how he would also regularly visit the Marian basilica before he was pope on Sundays when he was in Rome, underlining his strong connection with the basilica.
The interview, taped on Dec. 12 before Pope Francis presided over a Mass to mark the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, was the pope’s first interview since slowing down his schedule due to a bout of acute bronchitis.
“I feel good, I feel improved. Sometimes I’m told I’m imprudent because I feel like doing things and moving around. But I guess those are good signs, no? I am quite well,” Francis said.
Pope Francis said that he now faces some “limits” in his ability to travel and that his international trips have to be “rethought.” The pope confirmed that he plans to visit Belgium in 2024 to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the country’s two main Catholic universities. He added that trips to somewhere in Polynesia and his native Argentina are also “pending.”
In the interview, Pope Francis said that he has never thought of resigning like his predecessor Benedict XVI but is open to the possibility.
“I ask the Lord to say enough, at some point, but when he wants me to,” he said.
