Vatican City, Aug 7, 2017 / 10:51 am
On Sunday morning Pope Francis descended to the grotto beneath St Peter's Basilica, where many past Popes are buried, to pray at the tomb of Bl. Paul VI.
According to a Vatican communique, the Pope spent about half an hour in "a moment of recollection" and prayer before the tomb Aug. 6, the 39th anniversary of the late Roman Pontiff's 1978 death.
Best known for his encyclical Humanae vitae, on the regulation of birth, and his role in the Second Vatican Council, Paul VI was beatified by Pope Francis in 2014.
Not only has Francis acknowledged the important contribution of Bl. Paul VI to the universal Church, he has also followed closely in the late Roman Pontiff's steps, particularly in his travels abroad, going to several of the places where his predecessor had become the first Pope ever to step foot.