At 3:15pm this afternoon (9:15am EST), the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Father, Pope Francis went to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major to pause in prayer before the image of the Salus Populi Romani.
Immediately afterwards, the Pope went to the Piazza di Spagna for the traditional Act of Veneration of the Immaculate Virgin.
Before returning to the Vatican, the Holy Father made a brief stop near the offices of the Italian daily newspaper Il Messaggero, where he thanked the directors and the personnel for their work and presented his good wishes and blessing to each of them and their families.
Immaculate Mother,
on the day of your feast, which is so dear to the Christian people,
I come to pay you homage in the heart of Rome.
In my soul, I carry the faithful of this Church
and all those who are living in this city, especially the sick
and those who for various reasons have grown tired and gone away.
First of all, we want to thank you
for the maternal care with which you accompany our journey:
how often we hear your voice and have tears in our eyes
as we witness the fruitfulness of your intercession,
the grace that seeks toe help of your Son Jesus for all of us!
I also think of an ordinary grace that you give to the people who live in Rome:
those who face the inconveniences of daily life with great patience.
But also those who call to you for the strength not to give up, indeed,
to do our part every day to improve the rights of all people
so that by caring for others, we may make Rome more beautiful and visible to everyone;
in order that the duties of each may secure the rights of all.
And thinking of the common good of this city,
I pray for those who have roles of greater responsibility:
obtain for them the graces of wisdom, foresight, a spirit of service and collaboration.
Holy Virgin,
I want to entrust to you especially the priests of this Diocese:
the pastors, associate pastors, elderly priests who, with the hearts of shepherds
continue to work in service to the people of God,
and the many priests who are students from every corner of the world, who are working in our parishes.
For all of them, I ask for the sweet joy of evangelizing
and the gift of being fathers, close to their people, merciful.
To you, Woman entirely consecrated to God, I entrust the consecrated women in religious life as well as those in secular life,
I thank God that here in Rome there are many of them, more than in any other place in the world,
they form a beautiful mosaic of nationalities and cultures.
On their behalf, I ask for the joy of being, like you, a spouse and a mother,
fruitful in prayer, charity and compassion.
O Mother of Jesus,
one final thing I ask, in this season of Advent,
thinking of the days during which you and Joesph were getting anxious
awaiting the imminent and approaching birth of your child,
you were worried because there was a census and you too had to leave your countryside, in Nazareth, and go to Bethlehem ...
You know, O Mother, what it means to carry life within you
and feel all around you indifference, rejection and even contempt.
For this reason, I ask you today to stay close to families,
in Rome, in Italy, there are similar situations throughout the whole world
that they may never be abandoned and forced to live on their own, but cared for in their rights,
human rights that come first and foremost before every legitimate need.
O Mary Immaculate,
dawn of hope on the horizon of humanity,
watch over this city,
over her homes, over her schools, over her offices, over her stores,
over her buildings, over her hospitals, over her jails;
let Rome's most precious treasures not be lacking in any of these places,
and may they preserve the testimony of Jesus for the entire world:
Love one another as I have loved you (cf Jn 13:34).
Amen.
Immediately afterwards, the Pope went to the Piazza di Spagna for the traditional Act of Veneration of the Immaculate Virgin.
Before returning to the Vatican, the Holy Father made a brief stop near the offices of the Italian daily newspaper Il Messaggero, where he thanked the directors and the personnel for their work and presented his good wishes and blessing to each of them and their families.
Prayer of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
recited during the Act of Veneration of the Immaculate Virgin
in Piazza di Spagna
Immaculate Mother,
on the day of your feast, which is so dear to the Christian people,
I come to pay you homage in the heart of Rome.
In my soul, I carry the faithful of this Church
and all those who are living in this city, especially the sick
and those who for various reasons have grown tired and gone away.
First of all, we want to thank you
for the maternal care with which you accompany our journey:
how often we hear your voice and have tears in our eyes
as we witness the fruitfulness of your intercession,
the grace that seeks toe help of your Son Jesus for all of us!
I also think of an ordinary grace that you give to the people who live in Rome:
those who face the inconveniences of daily life with great patience.
But also those who call to you for the strength not to give up, indeed,
to do our part every day to improve the rights of all people
so that by caring for others, we may make Rome more beautiful and visible to everyone;
in order that the duties of each may secure the rights of all.
And thinking of the common good of this city,
I pray for those who have roles of greater responsibility:
obtain for them the graces of wisdom, foresight, a spirit of service and collaboration.
Holy Virgin,
I want to entrust to you especially the priests of this Diocese:
the pastors, associate pastors, elderly priests who, with the hearts of shepherds
continue to work in service to the people of God,
and the many priests who are students from every corner of the world, who are working in our parishes.
For all of them, I ask for the sweet joy of evangelizing
and the gift of being fathers, close to their people, merciful.
To you, Woman entirely consecrated to God, I entrust the consecrated women in religious life as well as those in secular life,
I thank God that here in Rome there are many of them, more than in any other place in the world,
they form a beautiful mosaic of nationalities and cultures.
On their behalf, I ask for the joy of being, like you, a spouse and a mother,
fruitful in prayer, charity and compassion.
O Mother of Jesus,
one final thing I ask, in this season of Advent,
thinking of the days during which you and Joesph were getting anxious
awaiting the imminent and approaching birth of your child,
you were worried because there was a census and you too had to leave your countryside, in Nazareth, and go to Bethlehem ...
You know, O Mother, what it means to carry life within you
and feel all around you indifference, rejection and even contempt.
For this reason, I ask you today to stay close to families,
in Rome, in Italy, there are similar situations throughout the whole world
that they may never be abandoned and forced to live on their own, but cared for in their rights,
human rights that come first and foremost before every legitimate need.
O Mary Immaculate,
dawn of hope on the horizon of humanity,
watch over this city,
over her homes, over her schools, over her offices, over her stores,
over her buildings, over her hospitals, over her jails;
let Rome's most precious treasures not be lacking in any of these places,
and may they preserve the testimony of Jesus for the entire world:
Love one another as I have loved you (cf Jn 13:34).
Amen.
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