The Vatican has released Pope Francis’ final wishes, written in 2022, revealing his desire for a modest burial and prayers for peace and fraternity among all people.
BY PC Bureau
The Vatican has made public the final testament of Pope Francis, issued prior to his passing on Easter Monday.
Dated 29 June 2022, the document outlines his burial wishes, requesting a simple grave marked solely with the name Franciscus.
Here is the full translation of the Pope’s last testament:
As I sense the approaching twilight of my earthly life, and with firm hope in eternal life, I wish to set out my final wishes solely regarding the place of my burial.
Throughout my life, and during my ministry as a priest and bishop, I have always entrusted myself to the Mother of Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary. For this reason, I ask that my mortal remains rest – awaiting the day of the Resurrection – in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major.
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.
What an amazing man! His body wouldhave been shutting down yet he spent those last hours giving of himself! RIP great man!
Pope Francis’s last appearance https://t.co/DGQd6jGNtN via @AJEnglish— Veronica Glamis Aotearoa💃💃💃💃 (@VeronicaGlamis) April 21, 2025
I ask that my tomb be prepared in the burial niche in the side aisle between the Pauline Chapel (Chapel of the Salus Populi Romani) and the Sforza Chapel of the Basilica, as shown in the attached plan.
The tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus.
The cost of preparing the burial will be covered by a sum provided by a benefactor, which I have arranged to be transferred to the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major. I have given the necessary instructions regarding this to Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, Extraordinary Commissioner of the Liberian Basilica.
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.
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