During the course of Pope Leo XIV’s first excursion outside the Vatican, he travels to Rome’s Marian Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, to pray to the Blessed Mother and to pray before the resting place of his predecessor, the late Pope Francis. Earlier in the day, he made a special outing to pray at a beloved Marian shrine entrusted to the Augustinian Order, and delighted the faithful with warm greetings and blessings.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
On the way back to the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV stopped at St. Mary Major, where he paused in prayer before the tomb of Pope Francis and the icon of the Virgin, Salus Populi Romani,” the Holy See Press Office reported.
The last time the Pope had prayed before the late Pope was during the late afternoon of the Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday, when then-Cardinal Prevost, with members of the College of Cardinals, went to the papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major to pay their homage to Pope Francis at his tomb that had been open to the public since seven in the morning.
Pope Leo XIV in Santa Maria Maggiore (@Vatican Media)
Earlier on Saturday, less than 48 hours since he was elected Pope, Pope Leo made his first trip outside the Vatican, when he decided to pay a visit to the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano, just outside Rome, saying he “wanted so much to come here in these first days of the new Ministry … that the Church has entrusted to me.’
Marian Shrine beloved to the Augustinians
Pope Leo visited the shrine, which has been run by the Augustinians since 1200, at about 4pm for a private visit.
The shrine is home to an ancient image of the Virgin Mary, which comes from Shkodër (Albania) and was much loved by Pope Leo XIII.
Pope Leo arrived in a Volkswagen multivan, seated in the front; he was greeted by a cheering crowd of hundreds of people gathered in the square and looking out of windows and balconies.
Faithful overjoyed and filling the streets
Many shouted “Leone, Leone (‘Leo,’ ‘Leo’)” and the nearby streets filled up. Entering the church, where he greeted the Augustinian religious, the Pope stopped to pray, first in front of the altar and then in front of the image of the Virgin. With those present, he recited John Paul II’s prayer to the Mother of Good Counsel.
At the end, after saying a Hail Mary and singing the Salve Regina, the Pope addressed those who were in the church, greeting them and the people of Genazzano gathered outside: ‘I wanted so much to come here in these first days of the new Ministry of carrying out the mission of Successor of Peter that the Church has entrusted to me.’
Entrusting mission to Blessed Mother, welcoming her counsel
And, recalling the visit he made after his election as Prior General of the Order of St. Augustine, and his choice to ‘offer his life to the Church,’ Leo XIV reiterated his ‘trust in the Mother of Good Counsel’, quoting the words addressed by Mary to the servants at the Wedding at Cana: ‘Whatever she tells you, do it’.
The Pope then held a private meeting with the Augustinian community.
Pope Leo XIV makes first excursion to Marian shrine just outside of Rome (@Vatican Media)
Even if Pope Leo XIII was never able to visit it, he did elevate it to the dignity of minor basilica in 1903. However, other Popes had visited the Mother of Good Counsel, including Pope St. John XXIII in 1959 and Pope St. John Paul II in 1993.
When Pope Leo XIV was a Cardinal, he had celebrated Mass at the shrine on 25 April 2024.
In his homily, on the occasion, the then Cardinal Prevost expressed his devotion to the Virgin, urging the faithful to be inspired by Mary to spread peace and reconciliation in the world.
Pope Leo XIV makes first excursion to Marian shrine just outside of Rome (@Vatican Media)
