Pope Francis wants to be buried at the Basilica of St. Mary Major instead of St. Peter’s Basilica. No surprise there since he is a different breed than his more recent predecessors.
No bashing of Catholics or Protestants intended here. Maybe this was posted before but I didn't see it upon a quick search.
The history of the first popes is brutal. I forget how many were murdered before they were left alone.
Fascinating history, interesting read. Thanks.
I thought that was where the white smoke from the Vatican comes in. When a pope dies, he lies in state and when a new pope is elected, the previous pope is cremated.
Yes, a lot of Popes are in the “first basement” of St. Peter’s. There are also lots of tiny chapels down there. The next level down is even better, it’s the remains of a pagan church and the spot where St. Peter’s remains are claimed to reside. You can see it all on the guided “Scavi Tour”. The people leading the tours are a fabulous font of information. You’ll see where pagan sacrifices were done, etc. Near the end you are standing on glass looking down at St. Peter’s resting spot. A lot of drainage was required to make it accessible and save it, the river is quite close by.
Pope Marx will probably want his rotting corpse next to Lenin’s.