Outside the Basilica of St. Mary Major, a smaller venue where Pope Francis is to be laid to rest, a banner read “Thank You, Francis” in Italian.
While the funeral at the Vatican was attended by heads of state and monarchs, there was great symbolism in the fact that, according to the pope’s last wishes, his coffin was greeted on the steps of St. Mary Major by the poor and dispossesed, who remained at the forefront of Francis’ ministries to his death.
