On the 40th anniversary of the death of Blessed Paul VI, Pope Francis went into the grotto under St Peter's Basilica to pray at his predecessor's simple tomb.
The Pope who oversaw the last sessions of the Second Vatican Council and began implementing its teachings died on August 6, 1978, at Castel Gandolfo, the Papal summer residence outside of Rome.
He was buried six days later in the basilica's grotto. Unlike most of the popes buried there, his tomb is in the earth – rather than elevated – and is covered with a simple travertine marble slab.
