Czech Saint's statue presented to the Pope

Yesterday at the Vatican, Pope Francis received a statue of Saint Agnes of Bohemia from members of the National Jubilee Pilgrimage of the Czech Republic, which was led by Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, the Archbishop emeritus of Prague.

As Patroness of the Czech Republic, Saint Agnes of Bohemia is for me not only a symbol of Czech statehood, but also a symbol of mercy, said Daniel Herman, the Minister of Culture for the Czech Republic, who is a member of the pilgrimage group. Although long venerated by the Czech people, Saint Agnes was only canonized in 1989, by Pope Saint John Paul II.

The statue stands 1.6 metres tall, and weighs nearly 300 kilograms. It was made by students in the small town of Hořice.

During the Jubilee Audience, Pope Francis thanked them for the gift of the statue. I wish you to live this Jubilee with faith, rediscovering the beauty of practicing the works of mercy which are concrete manifestations of God's love for each of His children,” Pope Francis added.

Please convey my greetings to your compatriots and, while I ask you to continue to pray for me, I cordially impart to you and to your families my Apostolic Blessing – the Holy Father concluded – Praised be Jesus Christ!