Pope grave accessible to the audience – conclave is moving closer

After burial of Francis

Pope grave accessible to the audience – conclave is moving closer

The grave of Pope Francis can be visited in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore today. However, the choice of his successor is closer. Is there an appointment for the conclave soon?

After the burial of Pope Francis, his grave is made accessible to the public for the first time. The Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore opens its gates for believers and interested parties today at 7:00 a.m. In the church outside the Vatican, the Pontifex was buried on Saturday after a large requiem and a funeral procession through the eternal city.

Francis already had a testamentary during lifetime to be buried in the church near the Central Station. Santa Maria Maggiore is one of the four so -called papal basilicas – and was the favorite church of Francis. In the church he often prayed to a Marien icon, especially before and after his international trips.

As a place for the grave, the Pope, who died on Easter Monday at the age of 88, chose a position of the left aisle. On Saturday afternoon, the coffin was buried there, including the public. Among other things, there were some cardinals and close companions in the ceremony.

Francis chose a simple marble grab stone on which only one word is: Franciscus. In addition, a replica of his pectoral cross adorns the grave site, which is right next to the chapel in which the icon, who is revered by the Pope, called Salus Populi Romani.

The cardinals brought together for the funeral celebrations and the approaching conclave will attend the final resting place of the 266th Pope at 4:00 p.m. and hold an evening prayer there. The new grave assumes that significantly more pilgrims and visitors will come to the Marienkirche in the future.

At the latest on Monday, instead of the farewell celebrations for Francis, the upcoming pope election should come into focus. The cardinals have already met in the past few days to advise for the first time about details and the course of the conclusion. So far there is no date for the start of the choice that traditionally takes place behind the closed doors of the Sistine chapel.

The cardinals may already announce on this Monday when the conclave should begin. After a church -prescribed mourning phase of nine days, the earliest possible date on May 5th or 6th. It is quite possible that the choice begins at the beginning of the weeks after next.

There are no official candidates for the successor of Francis. However, speculation has been cheered on for days about favorites and outsiders for the position at the top of the Catholic Church. Favorite among the bookmakers is Pietro Parolin, who was previously the Cardinal State Secretary who was unofficial number two in the Vatican and was considered a confidante of Francis.

To become a Pope, a cardinal in the conclave must get the votes of two thirds of the college. On the first day, one ballot is scheduled, in the following four. Once a new pontiff has been found, white smoke rises from the chimney attached to the roof of the Sistine chapel for the choice.