On April 21, 2025, at 7:35 a.m., Pope Francis died in Rome at the age of 88. That evening, the Vatican’s press office released both the official medical certificate and the late pontiff’s personal testament — two documents that together tell a story of suffering, simplicity, and steadfast faith.
The medical report, signed by the Vatican’s head of health services, listed the cause of death as a stroke, followed by coma and cardiovascular collapse. It noted that Francis had been battling severe pneumonia, respiratory failure, and complications related to hypertension and type 2 diabetes.
Later that night, the Holy See shared his testament, dated June 29, 2022: a humble farewell marked by profound devotion to the Virgin Mary and his desire to be buried, without ornament, in the Basilica of St. Mary Major.
Full translation of the testament:
Miserando atque Eligendo
As I sense the approaching twilight of my earthly life, and with firm hope in eternal life, I wish to set out my final wishes solely regarding the place of my burial.
Throughout my life, and during my ministry as a priest and bishop, I have always entrusted myself to the Mother of Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary. For this reason, I ask that my mortal remains rest -- awaiting the day of the Resurrection -- in the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major.
I wish my final earthly journey to end precisely in this ancient Marian sanctuary, where I would always stop to pray at the beginning and end of every Apostolic Journey, confidently entrusting my intentions to the Immaculate Mother, and giving thanks for her gentle and maternal care.
I ask that my tomb be prepared in the burial niche in the side aisle between the Pauline Chapel (Chapel of the Salus Populi Romani) and the Sforza Chapel of the Basilica, as shown in the attached plan.
The tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus.
The cost of preparing the burial will be covered by a sum provided by a benefactor, which I have arranged to be transferred to the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major. I have given the necessary instructions regarding this to Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, Extraordinary Commissioner of the Liberian Basilica.
May the Lord grant a fitting reward to all those who have loved me and who continue to pray for me. The suffering that has marked the final part of my life, I offer to the Lord, for peace in the world and for fraternity among peoples.
Santa Marta, 29 June 2022
FRANCIS