1 of 2 | A handout photo made available by Vatican Media shows the tomb of Pope Francis at the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, Italy, on Sunday. Francis died April 21, 2025, at the age of 88. Photo by Vatican Media/EPA-EFE
April 27 (UPI) — The Vatican released photos of the tomb of Pope Francis as it was opened for public viewing Sunday. He was buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome on Saturday.
The release of the photos came as more than 13,000 people were ushered into the basilica to view the tomb Sunday, and several thousand more were lined up outside, according to the Italian news agency ANSA, citing information from police.
More than 20,000 people filed into the basilica to view the tomb on Sunday, with several thousand more waiting outside, the Italian news agency ANSA reported, citing the police.
The Vatican said all of the cardinals in Rome visited the tomb Sunday where they recited the Second Vespers, which are prayers of praise and thanksgiving.
“Behind them, groups of worshippers joined in, while others continued to arrive during the celebration to pay their respects to Pope Francis,” Vatican state media reported. “An estimated twenty thousand people had already visited the tomb since the early morning.”
Francis, who was 88 when he died last Monday, became the first pope to be buried outside the Vatican in more than a century and the first in more than 300 years to be buried at St. Mary Major.