Pope Francis' request for ‘simple' funeral, final resting place speak to man he was - Prof Mathew Schmalz, College of the Holy Cross
The pontiff died at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta on Monday at the age of 88.
FILE: A man prays at the Basilica San Jose de Flores during a mass for the health of Pope Francis in Buenos Aires on 19 February 2025. Picture: JUAN MABROMATA/AFP
CapeTalk's Lester Kiewit is joined by Professor Mathew Schmalz, a global Catholicism scholar at the College of the Holy Cross.
Listen below:
Catholics around the world have been remembering Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, who died at his home in the Vatican on Monday at the age of 88.
He had been recovering from double pneumonia that had left him hospitalised for five weeks.
Described as a champion and custodian of hope for the poor and marginalised, the Pontiff was widely considered a progressive figure in the church.
Schmalz says two moments in particular stand out from his reign.
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"When he most recently went to a prison... he spoke with them and thought, 'Why them and not me?'"
- Professor Mathew Schmalz, Global Catholicism scholar - College of the Holy Cross
"I think there was a real identification that he had with people society had ostracised."
- Professor Mathew Schmalz, Global Catholicism scholar - College of the Holy Cross
Schmalz recalls a second moment early on in the Argentinian's pontificate when a man who was disfigured entered St Peter's Square.
"Pope Francis just went and hugged him... a meaningful expression of his love and openness to all people, especially those society would stigmatise."
- Professor Mathew Schmalz, Global Catholicism scholar - College of the Holy Cross
ALSO READ: 'He really had the heart of Christ in him' – Cardinal Wilfrid Napier on Pope Francis' legacy
While the Vatican has yet to release details of Pope Francis' forthcoming funeral, it is expected to take place on Saturday.
There will be several traditional steps to be followed in laying the 88-year-old to rest, but he is said to have requested a simple burial.
In 2023, Francis said he would not be buried in the Vatican, but would rather rest at the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica in Rome’s Esquilino neighbourhood.
Schmalz says this is significant on two levels.
"First, Pope Francis had a very strong devotion to the Virgin Mary, and this is a church specifically dedicated to her and so it resonates with his spirituality."
- Professor Mathew Schmalz, Global Catholicism scholar - College of the Holy Cross
"Secondly, Pope Francis never wanted to be a prisoner of the Vatican... So, his resting place will be somewhere that is more open and free for his fellow Catholics to come and pay their respects."
- Professor Mathew Schmalz, Global Catholicism scholar - College of the Holy Cross
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