Pope Francis said he wishes to be buried outside the Vatican when he dies in the latest break from traditional practices for the 86-year-old pontiff.
In an interview with the Mexican television station N+, the pope said that unlike most of his predecessors, he wants to be buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. The announcement was accompanied by the revelation that he intends to simplify and shorten the proscribed rituals for the death of a pope.
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Popes are normally buried in the Vatican at the Basilica of Saint Peter, either in the main church or in the crypt. Pope Francis's immediate predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, was buried in the crypt of the basilica along with dozens of other former popes. The last pope to be buried outside Saint Peter's was Pope Leo XIII, who died in 1903 and was buried in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.
The last pope to be buried in Santa Maria Maggiore was Clement IX, who died in 1669 and whose remains were moved to the church in 1675.
Pope Francis, who will turn 87 on Sunday, is the oldest reigning pope since Leo XIII's death. Since his election in 2013, Francis has shown a penchant for eschewing traditional practices by embracing softer tones on questions of sexual morality and declining to stay in the papal apartments. The liberal attitude of his papacy stands in stark contrast with the conservative papacies of his predecessors John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
In the same interview, Francis said he was working with Vatican master of ceremonies Archbishop Diego Ravelli to modify the lengthy ritual instructions for the death of a pope.
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The interview puts a new focus on Francis's future. Speculation has mounted in recent years about the pope's health. In 2023, Francis has undergone several hospital stays, including for an illness in March and a hernia surgery in June.
The pontiff's health has visibly deteriorated in recent years. In 2021, he underwent surgery to remove a portion of his colon to treat inflammation of his intestine, a condition known as diverticulitis. He has also increasingly been using a wheelchair or a cane due to ligament damage in his knee.