Pope Francis Buried at St. Mary Major, a Church with 'Very Beautiful' Connection to His Faith

Pope Francis has been laid to rest less than a week after his death. The pontiff's funeral began on the morning of Saturday, April 26, in St. Peter’s Square in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. The service was led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals and concluded with the Ultima commendatio and the Valedictio. Following the Mass, Francis' coffin was transferred via a much-watched procession to the basilica of St. Mary Major for a private burial, making him the first pope in more than a century not to be interred at St. Peter's Basilica. But St. Mary was one of Francis' favorite places in Rome and a church with deep personal significance to him.