ROME — Pope Francis will be the first pontiff in more than a century to be buried outside the Vatican Grottoes. After his ...

With St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran, St. Paul Outside the Walls, it is one of four basilicas in Rome granted special status by ...

Each year on Aug. 5 the church liturgical calendar commemorates the dedication of St. Mary Major (in Italian, Santa Maria ...

Pope Francis made more than 100 visits to the basilica since becoming pope, most notably to venerate the icon known as the “Salus Populi Romani” — “Mary, Protection of the Roman People ...

Pope Francis’ funeral has been set for Saturday at 10 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square, and a viewing of his body will begin on ...

"We have lost our spiritual father. While there is sadness in my heart, there is also a deep sense of gratitude for his ...

Palestinians in Bethlehem mourn Pope Francis at Manger Square Bethlehem is home to the Church of the Nativity ... be buried in the Saint Mary Major Basilica, near an icon of Mary that he held ...

For a while the basilica was known as St. Mary of the Crib after it obtained a relic of the Holy Crib, believed to be the one in which Jesus was laid at His nativity ... Francis prays in front of the ...