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Francisco went this morning in front of the Marian statue in the center of the capital for an act of private veneration of the Virgin. Before returning to the Vatican, he arrived at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore where he prayed in front of the icon of Maria Salus Popoli Romani and celebrated Mass in the Chapel of the Nativity.
Amedeo Lomonaco – Vatican City
It is the day the Church celebrates the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Between the first lights of a new day and the silence of a city engulfed by rain, Francis arrived at Piazza di Spagna at 7:00 this morning to pay tribute to the Immaculate Conception. At the foot of the statue of Mary, the Pope turned his gaze to the Mother of God and placed a bouquet of white roses at the base of the column where the statue of the Virgin is located. His prayer was not accompanied, as is traditionally the case on this occasion, by the company of the crowd. The Pope went to Piazza di Spagna at this unusual time, and not in the afternoon, due to the health emergency situation and to avoid any risk of contagion caused by the gatherings. The Pope – announced the Press Office of the Holy See in a statement – has entrusted to Our Lady all those in this city and in the world who are afflicted by illness and discouragement. Shortly before 7.15 in the morning, the Pope left Piazza di Spagna and arrived at Santa Maria Maggiore where he prayed in front of the icon Maria Salus Roman peoples and celebrated Holy Mass in the Chapel of the Nativity. Francis then returned to the Vatican.
The statue of the Immaculate Conception and the Crucifix
The Pontiff, in this season of Advent still afflicted by the coronavirus, wanted to invoke Mary in a deserted square like the one on March 27. That day, the Pontiff had presided over the extraordinary moment of prayer in the cemetery of St. Peter’s Basilica. Rome was “speechless” by the pandemic and the shutdown. “Tonight – Francesco had said with the image of the Salvation of the Roman people for the occasion brought to the square, I would like to entrust you all to the Lord, through the intercession of Our Lady, the health of her people, star of the stormy sea. From this colonnade that embraces Rome and the world, may God’s blessing descend on you, like a comforting embrace. Lord, bless the world, give health to bodies and comfort to hearts ”.
Under the protection of the Mother of God
Even today, an empty square is full of prayers. Like the one on March 11, when the Pope in the middle of a health emergency entrusted the city of Rome, Italy and the world to the protection of the Mother of God. The Pontiff addressed a prayer to Our Lady that opens with these words: “Oh Mary, you always shine on our path as a sign of salvation and hope. We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the sick, who on the cross were associated with him. pain of Jesus, keeping your faith firm. ”On that day of prayer and fasting desired by the Diocese of Rome for Italy and for the world, the video message of the Pontiff preceded the Mass presided over by Cardinal Vicar Angelo De Donatis in the Shrine of the Madonna del Divino Amore. On that occasion, the entrustment to Mary had reminded us of another moment of ordeal for Rome and for humanity. It was June 11, 1944 and Pope Pius XII asked the Madonna of Divino Amore for protection and salvation during the withdrawal of the Nazi troops. “Guard your Rome – said Pope Pacelli – and protect it also in the future from extreme evils.”
The Immaculate Conception and the light of the risen Christ
Last year, on the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Francis went to Piazza di Spagna to pay homage to the Virgin Mary. In front of the statue of the Virgin placed on the column, he recited a prayer. On that occasion, the Pontiff entrusted to Our Lady “all those who, in this city and throughout the world, are oppressed by mistrust (…) those who think that there is no longer hope for them, that their sins are too many and too big, and that God certainly does not have time to waste with them. ”In the act of veneration of the Virgin on December 8, 2019, the Holy Father recalled the” limpid purity “of Mary, a call to” sincerity , transparency, simplicity. “A true antidote to the” corruption of the heart. “It is not the same, he said,” to be sinners and to be corrupt. “” It is one thing to fall, but then to repent, to rise again with the help of Mercy of god. Another thing is the hypocritical collusion with evil, the corruption of the heart, which on the outside is impeccable, but on the inside is full of evil intentions and selfishness. means “. The Immaculate Conception, that is, full of grace, can” reflect a ray of light from the risen Christ to the deepest darkness.
The history and devotion of the Popes
It is September 8, 1857: Pius IX inaugurates the monument of the Immaculate Conception in Rome, in Piazza Mignanelli, next to Piazza di Spagna. Almost a century later, Pius XII began to have a bouquet of flowers placed at the foot of the monument every December 8. His successor, John XXIII, left the Vatican for the first time on December 8, 1958 and brought some white roses to Mary, stopping then for a prayer in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore: a custom that continues today. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception was proclaimed in 1854 by Pope Pius IX with the bull “Ineffabilis Deus”.
Photo gallery
Immaculate: the Pope in Piazza di Spagna and Santa Maria Maggiore
