Hundreds Line Up to Visit Pope Francis' Tomb in Rome

People queue to visit the tomb of Pope Francis at the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, Italy, 27 April 2025. Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday, 21 April 2025, at the age of 88. EPA/FABIO CIMAGLIA
People queue to visit the tomb of Pope Francis at the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, Italy, 27 April 2025. Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday, 21 April 2025, at the age of 88. EPA/FABIO CIMAGLIA
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Hundreds Line Up to Visit Pope Francis' Tomb in Rome

People queue to visit the tomb of Pope Francis at the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, Italy, 27 April 2025. Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday, 21 April 2025, at the age of 88. EPA/FABIO CIMAGLIA
People queue to visit the tomb of Pope Francis at the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, Italy, 27 April 2025. Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday, 21 April 2025, at the age of 88. EPA/FABIO CIMAGLIA

Hundreds of people filed past the tomb of Pope Francis from early on Sunday morning in the Roman basilica where he chose to be buried in a break from tradition.
No pope had been laid to rest outside the Vatican in more than a century, but Francis opted instead for burial in Santa Maria Maggiore (Saint Mary Major), located in the Italian capital's most multi-cultural neighborhood.
His coffin was taken there on Saturday after his funeral Mass in St. Peter's square, with around 150,000 people lining the route through the heart of the city to say their farewells, Reuters reported.
The casket was placed in a simple marble tomb in a side aisle of the basilica. Only his name in Latin, "Franciscus", is inscribed on top, while a reproduction of the plain cross that he used to wear around his neck hangs above the niche.
"I feel like it's exactly in the way of the Pope. He was simple, and so is his place now," said Polish pilgrim Maria Brzezinska after paying her respects.
Visitors began queuing well before the Basilica opened at 7:00 a.m. (0500 GMT). After passing through metal detectors, they entered the church through a so-called Holy Door, only opened during special Holy Years celebrated every 25 years.
Santa Maria Maggiore is one of four basilicas in Rome that have such holy doors. It was founded in 432 and is the only basilica in the city that preserves the early Christian structure, although there have been many later additions.
Francis was especially attached to it because of his devotion to Mary, Mother of God. He prayed there before and after every overseas trip.
A venerated Byzantine icon of Mary is housed in the Pauline chapel near the tomb. A vase of golden roses, donated by Francis in 2023, sits among candlesticks under the icon. He last visited the chapel carrying a bunch of white roses on April 12.
A single white rose was placed on his tomb.
"So much intensity. He was a person close to everyone, so we respect him for what he did, each in our own way. Thank you," said Carmelo Lamurra, a Rome resident.



Russia-Ukraine Talks End after Less than Two Hours in Türkiye

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan chairs a meeting between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators in Istanbul, Türkiye, May 16, 2025. Arda Kucukkaya/Turkish Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan chairs a meeting between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators in Istanbul, Türkiye, May 16, 2025. Arda Kucukkaya/Turkish Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
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Russia-Ukraine Talks End after Less than Two Hours in Türkiye

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan chairs a meeting between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators in Istanbul, Türkiye, May 16, 2025. Arda Kucukkaya/Turkish Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan chairs a meeting between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators in Istanbul, Türkiye, May 16, 2025. Arda Kucukkaya/Turkish Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS

The first direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in more than three years lasted well under two hours, with no apparent sign of progress so far in narrowing the gap between the sides, and a Ukrainian source called Moscow's demands "non-starters".

Delegations from the warring sides met at a palace in Türkiye on Friday, their first face-to-face meeting since March 2022, the month after Russia's invasion of its neighbour.

The chasm between the two sides was quickly apparent, according to the Ukrainian source who told Reuters that Russia's demands were "detached from reality and go far beyond anything that was previously discussed".

They included ultimatums for Ukraine to withdraw from parts of its own territory in order to obtain a ceasefire "and other non-starters and non-constructive conditions," the source told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

There was no immediate word from the Russian side.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv's top priority was "a full, unconditional and honest ceasefire... to stop the killing and create a solid basis for diplomacy". He said that if Russia refused, it should be hit with strong new sanctions against its energy sector and banks.

Russia says it wants to end the war by diplomatic means and is ready to discuss a ceasefire. But it has raised a list of questions and concerns, saying Ukraine could use a pause to rest its forces, mobilise extra troops and acquire more western weapons.

Ukraine and its allies accuse Putin of stalling, and say he is not serious about wanting peace.

The Ukrainian source said the Ukrainians spoke in their own language, although Russian is widely spoken and understood in Ukraine.

It was Putin who proposed the direct talks in Türkiye, but he spurned a challenge from Zelenskiy to meet him there in person, instead sending a team of mid-level officials. Ukraine responded by naming negotiators of similar rank.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said on the eve of the meeting that no major breakthrough was likely, based on the level of the negotiating teams.

"I hope I’m 100% wrong. I hope tomorrow the news says they’ve agreed to a ceasefire; they’ve agreed to enter serious negotiations. But I’m just giving you my assessment, honestly," he said.

Russia said on Friday it had captured another village in its slow, grinding advance in eastern Ukraine. Minutes before the start of the Istanbul meeting, Ukrainian media reported an air alert and explosions in the city of Dnipro.

Russia says it sees the talks as a continuation of the negotiations that took place in the early weeks of the war in 2022, also in Istanbul.

But the terms under discussion then, when Ukraine was still reeling from Russia's initial invasion, would be deeply disadvantageous to Kyiv. They included a demand by Moscow for large cuts to the size of Ukraine's military.

Zelenskiy's chief of staff Andriy Yermak said Russian attempts to align the new talks with the unsuccessful earlier negotiations would fail.

With Russian forces now in control of close to a fifth of Ukraine, Putin has held fast to his longstanding demands for Kyiv to cede territory, abandon its NATO membership ambitions and become a neutral country.

Ukraine rejects these terms as tantamount to capitulation, and is seeking guarantees of its future security from world powers, especially the United States.