Pope Francis: A shepherd who walked with the poor, even in death

In life, he walked with the poor. In death, he remains among them.

Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff and a tireless advocate for the marginalised, will take his final journey not amid the grandiosity typical of papal rites, but in the quiet dignity he modelled for more than a decade.

In a break with centuries of tradition, Pope Francis requested that his body not be displayed on a raised platform, known as the catafalque, in the middle of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Instead, mourners will view him simply, inside his coffin with the lid removed — an intimate and profoundly humble gesture from the man who once described himself as “a sinner whom the Lord has looked upon.”

His funeral Mass, following Church custom, is expected to take place within four to six days of his passing.

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The grandeur of papal funerals has long stood as a symbol of the Church’s global stature, but Francis had already moved to simplify his own. Last year, he directed that the ceremony reflect the values he preached: compassion, humility, and simplicity.

“Francis will not lie in state under the grand dome where so many popes before him rested,” said a Catholic priest who requested anonymity. “He wanted the focus not on his body, but on the message he carried.”

The message was clear from the moment he was appointed in 2013 and introduced himself not as pope, but as “your bishop.”

According to Mombasa Diocese Archbishop Martin Kivuva, over the years, he lived in a modest apartment instead of the Apostolic Palace, took public transport, and cooked his own meals.

"His chosen name — Francis — was a tribute to St. Francis of Assisi, the humble saint who embraced poverty and peace," he said.

Archbishop Kivuva noted that in keeping with that spirit, Francis will also be the first pope in more than a century not to be buried beneath St. Peter’s Basilica.

Instead, he will be laid to rest in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, close to the beloved icon of the Madonna he often visited in moments of decision and distress.

His final resting place will be marked not by marble and gold, but by the gentle presence of prayer — and a simple wooden casket.

Gone is the tradition of three nesting coffins in cypress, lead, and oak. In their place is the plainness he desired.

“His choice to be buried in a simple wooden casket isn’t a rejection of tradition,” said Nairobi Diocese Archbishop Philip Anyolo.

“It is an embrace of the poor, of Christ in the poor. That’s who Francis always was.”

Even in his final public address, the Pope’s words were a call to action.

“I would like all of us to hope anew and to revive our trust in others, including those who are different from ourselves,” he said, urging the world once more toward compassion.

“May we heed his wish,” wrote former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a tribute on X.

He further said that as the Church prepares to bid farewell to the Pope, the crowds that will gather in St. Peter’s Square will not come to witness splendour, but to honour a man who lived simply, loved deeply, and never stopped reminding the world that greatness lies in service.

After his burial, the bells of St. Mary Major will toll to mark the end of a papacy, as well as the legacy of a humble shepherd who chose to walk with his flock to the very end.