Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, Coadjutor Archpriest of Santa Maria Maggiore, has revealed that in his will, Pope Francis requested that his tomb be made of slate — the traditional stone of his Ligurian grandparents. The maternal branch of Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s family traces back to Liguria, specifically the Valle Sturla and Tigullio areas, as suggested by his mother’s surname, Regina Maria Sivori. Francisco, the future Pope’s maternal grandfather, carried not only the Sivori surname but also that of his mother, Caterina Sturla. It is in this corner of Italy — between Cogorno and Santa Giulia, a hamlet of Lavagna — that the Pope’s Ligurian roots lie.

“We immediately wrote to the Curia to express our willingness to fulfill the Pope’s wish to have the traditional black Ligurian slate from his ancestral homeland used for his tomb,” said Franca Garbarino, president of the Ligurian Slate District. “We are now waiting for instructions so we can proceed with shipping the material.”