Pope Francis’ tomb in the Basilica of St. Mary Major has been made with materials from the Italian region of Liguria. It is a simple tomb bearing only the inscription “Franciscus” and a reproduction of the late Pope’s pectoral cross.
The tomb is located near the Altar of St Francis, in the niche of the side nave between the Pauline Chapel (Salus Populi Romani Chapel) and the Sforza Chapel. Speaking on television, the co-Archpriest of the Basilica, Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, announced Pope Francis’ desire to be buried in a tomb made from the “stone of Liguria, the land of his grandparents.”
From Italy to Argentina
It is precisely in the small town of Cogorno that a plaque of slate – a fine-grained grey, green or bluish metamorphic rock – commemorates Bergoglio’s great grandfather, Vincenzo Sivori. He travelled from Italy to Argentina in the 1800s. There, he raised his family, including his grandaughter Regina Maria Sivori: Pope Francis’ mother.
“A Great Gift. One Last Surprise.”
Pope Francis often kept his connection to Liguria private, so the Mayor of the town, Enrica Sommariva, described her surprise when she heard that the Pope had requested stone from his grandparents’ region for his tomb.
Angela Sivori, who still lives in Cogorno, recounted the moment in which she found out she was Pope Francis’ cousin. She described receiving a phone call from Buenos Aires, and a genealogy tree via email. She and her daughter, Cristina, said the Pope’s request regarding the stone for the tomb was a wonderful gift to the family, “one last surprise”, Cristina said.
Meeting the families
In May 2017, Pope Francis met his family in Genova.
Cristina recalled that at the time her mother was 87 and that they had no idea they would be meeting Pope Francis until the very last minute. “Then, three days before, we got a call from the Vatican. Seven of us got together and he welcomed us like a cousin who had come from the ‘end of the world.’” During the meeting, Pope Francis shook his cousins’ hands, smiled, and exclaimed, “At last, I meet the Sivoris!”
The people’s stone
So there is a deep connection between slate and the late Pope.
Franca Garbaino, the President of the Slate District, which includes 18 quarries and 12 companies in the Ligurian hills, described it as “not a noble stone” but rather as “the people’s stone”, and one that “gives warmth.” The District has already agreed to create slabs that will accompany Pope Francis in his eternal rest.
Even before the Pope, the town of Cogorno had ties to Popes Innocent IV and Adrian V. The town, carrying this pleasant surprise, echoes how Pope Francis lived, up until the very end of his earthly journey.
