Pope Francis to be buried at Basilica of St. Mary Major
Vatican City: Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday at the age of 88 at his residence in Casa Santa Marta, Vatican City, will be laid to rest on Saturday at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.
The basilica, one of the four major papal basilicas, holds personal significance for the late pontiff. He regularly visited the site for prayer, particularly after returning from apostolic visits abroad. This will be the first papal burial at the basilica since the 17th century, when Pope Clement IX was interred there.
The basilica also contains the tombs of seven other popes, early Christian saints including Matthew and Jerome, and the Renaissance artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini and his family.
In accordance with his wishes, Pope Francis will be buried in a simple grave with a single inscription and no elaborate decoration. The Vatican confirmed that his body may be temporarily transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday, April 23, subject to the approval of the College of Cardinals, to allow members of the public to pay their respects.
The Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, has called for General Congregations to begin on Tuesday, in preparation for the upcoming Conclave. The Conclave to elect the next pope is expected to take place between May 5 and May 10.
Heads of state and official delegations from several countries are expected to attend the funeral. Both Italy and India have declared three days of national mourning.
Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was the first Jesuit and the first Latin American to be elected pope. He became the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church in 2013, following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. Throughout his papacy, he chose to reside at the Vatican guesthouse, Santa Marta, rather than the official papal apartments.
Hours before his death, Pope Francis attended Easter services and held a meeting with United States Vice President J.D. Vance.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Second PUC results: Life convict clears exam with distinction, DGP lauds effort
_vb_63.jpeg)
Bengaluru: A life convict lodged in Ballari Central Prison has successfully cleared the second PUC examination.
Ashok Kumar S, who appeared for the examination under prison escort, secured 481 marks out of 600, registering 80.1 percent.
Director General of Police (Prisons and Correctional Services), Alok Kumar (IPS), shared the development on his official ‘X’ handle, commending the inmate’s achievement.
In his post, he stated that it was heartening to see a life convict score over 80 percent in the examination, adding that the inmate had appeared from Ballari Central Prison under escort.
It’s heartening to see that one of our life convict prisoners Ashok has obtained 80.1% marks in PUC exam. He appeared under Prison escort from Ballari Central Prison for his exams.
— alok kumar (@alokkumar6994) April 9, 2026
Glad to see that Walls of the prison has not subdued his hopes for a better future. pic.twitter.com/Nzlcy076SR
He further noted that the achievement reflected that the “walls of the prison have not subdued his hopes for a better future.”
Alok Kumar in his post also shared the result sheet of Ashok.
The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) declared the second PUC results for 2026 on April 9.
A total of 6,32,200 students appeared for the examination across all streams, of whom 5,46,698 passed, recording an overall pass percentage of 86.48 per cent.
