Wednesday, December 10, 2025

The Papal General Audience for 12.10.2025

Pope

Pope at Audience: Reflect on death, our time on earth prepares us for eternity

During his Wednesday General Audience, Pope Leo XIV meditates on existential questions of how human beings view death, and he invites us to ponder on the end of life so as to discover the power of Christ's Resurrection.

By Isabella H. de Carvalho

At the Wednesday General Audience on December 10, Pope Leo XIV highlighted the importance of reflecting on death—especially in today’s world that tends to avoid doing so—to discover the power of Christ’s Resurrection and thus find a new meaning for our life.

To know that death exists, “and above all to reflect on it, teaches us to choose what we really want to make of our existence,” the Pope said to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

“The secret to living authentically is praying, so that we understand what truly brings the Kingdom of Heaven, and letting go of what is superfluous and ties us to passing things," he continued. "We must remember that our time on earth prepares us for eternity."

Pope Leo XIV’s catechesis continued on the theme ‘The Resurrection of Christ and the Challenges of the Contemporary World,’ as part of the series ‘Jesus Christ Our Hope.’

Pope Leo during the General Audience (@Vatican Media)

Death has become a taboo

“The mystery of death has always raised profound questions in human beings,” as it is simultaneously the most natural and unnatural event to exist, the Pope pointed out.

“The desire for life and eternity that we all feel for ourselves and for the people we love makes us see death as a sentence, as a ‘contradiction’.”

He emphasized how, compared to the past, where many cultures developed rites linked to the cult of the dead and their journey towards an afterlife, today there seems to be the opposite trend.

“Death seems to be a sort of taboo, an event to keep at a distance; something to be spoken of in hushed tones, to avoid disturbing our sensibilities and our tranquility,” he said, emphasizing that is why many people avoid visiting cemeteries.

St. Peter's Square during the General Audience (@Vatican Media)

Can science guarantee that life without death is happy?

At the same time, he also mentioned how “many current anthropological views promise immanent immortality” and “theorize the prolongation of earthly life through technology.”

“This is the transhuman scenario, which is making its way into the horizon of the challenges of our time,” the Pope said.

“Could death really be defeated by science? But then, could science itself guarantee us that a life without death is also a happy life?”

Humans are powerless in front of death

“So what is death? Is it truly the last word on our lives?” the Pope asked. Human beings’ awareness that life ends at some point, in a certain sense, “‘burdens’ them compared to other living creatures,” he explained, adding how animals, for example, “do not question the meaning, purpose, and outcome of life.”

“Considering this aspect, one might then think that we are paradoxical, unhappy creatures, not only because we die, but also because we are certain that this event will happen, even though we do not know how or when,” he added.

“We find ourselves aware and at the same time powerless. This is probably where the frequent repressions and existential flights from the question of death originate.”

An answer to our existential questions

However, the Pope also offered an answer to all these reflections in the Resurrection of Christ.

It “reveals to us that death is not opposed to life, but rather is a constitutive part of it, as the passage to eternal life” and it “gives us a foretaste, in this time still full of suffering and trials, of the fullness of what will happen after death.”

Only the Resurrection “is capable of illuminating the mystery of death to its full extent. In this light, and only in this, what our heart desires and hopes becomes true: that death is not the end, but the passage towards full light, towards a happy eternity,” the Pope insisted.

“The Risen One has gone before us in the great trial of death, emerging victorious thanks to the power of divine Love,” he continued. “Thus, he has prepared for us the place of eternal rest, the home where we are awaited; he has given us the fullness of life in which there are no longer any shadows and contradictions.”

Only in light of Christ’s Resurrection can one be able to call death our “sister,” as St. Francis did, emphasized the Pope, while concluding that waiting for death in the hope of Jesus' Resurrection “preserves us from the fear of disappearing forever and prepares us for the joy of life without end.”

Tuesday, December 9, 2025

Saint of the Day for Wednesday

Pope Saint Gregory III

He was just standing there, not doing anything special. As a Syrian priest he must have felt a little out of place among the Roman people mourning that day for the dead Pope. As a good preacher, he must have wanted to speak to the funeral procession about Christ's promise of resurrection. As a learned man, he must have wondered who would follow the holy Saint Gregory II as Pope and where he would take the Church. As a holy man, he must have been praying for Gregory II and for all the people around him to find their place after death in God's arms. But he was just one of the crowd.

Not to God. And not to the people who recognized the well-known holy man in their midst. Right in the middle of the funeral procession they singled him out. They swept him away and clamored for him to be named the next bishop of Rome. Then suddenly, unexpectedly, without his even lifting a finger, his whole life changed and he could no longer just stand there and do nothing.

After he was proclaimed Pope Gregory III, Emperor Leo III attacked the veneration of holy images. Because Leo III thought the honor paid to Jesus, Mary, and the saints by keeping statues and icons was idolatry, he condemned them and wanted them destroyed. Gregory III didn't just stand there but immediately sent a letter to Leo III. He couldn't get the letter through because the priest-messenger was afraid to deliver it. So instead, Gregory called a synod that approved strong measures against anyone who would try to destroy images of Jesus, Mary, or the saints.

Gregory took his stand and Leo III apparently thought the only way to move him was through physical force. So Leo sent ships to kidnap Gregory and bring him to Constantinople. Many people in Rome must have tried to get Gregory to move -- but he just stood there. And once again God intervened. A storm destroyed Leo's ships. The only thing Leo could do was capture some of the papal lands.

So Leo got a few acres of land and we kept our wonderful reminders of the love of God, the protection of Jesus, the prayers of Mary, and the examples of the saints. All because Gregory knew when to take a stand -- and when to stand there and let God work.

Gregory III was Pope from 731-741.

Pope Leo XIV again meets with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy

Pope

Pope Leo meets with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy

Pope Leo XIV welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo to discuss the war in Ukraine and the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia.

Vatican News

Pope Leo XIV welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo on the morning of 9 December.

The Holy See Press Office issued a statement describing the cordial meeting, saying discussions centered mainly on the war in Ukraine.

During their talks, the Pope reiterated the importance of ongoing dialogue and once again stressed his “urgent hope that ongoing diplomatic efforts will lead to a just and lasting peace.”

The two heads of state also spoke about the issue of prisoners of war, calling for ensuring the safe return of Ukrainian children to their families.

Exactly five months ago, the President met with Pope Leo at the residence at Castel Gandolfo for a private audience—during which similar topics were discussed.

In the July meeting, Pope Leo—elected just two months prior to the papacy—expressed his sorrow for the victims of the war and assured the people of Ukraine of his ongoing prayers for them.

The Holy Father had also reiterated the Vatican’s willingness to host both Ukraine and Russia for potential negotiations.

Following the meeting, President Zelenskyy addressed journalists in English, expressing his gratitude for the audience and the Pope’s support especially regarding the return of Ukrainian children—calling it “a very important question.”

The Bishop of Baton Rouge dispenses Catholics from mass attendance who fear immigration enforcement actions

Bishop Duca's Statement Regarding Mass Obligations

December 5, 2025

by Bishop Michael Duca

04 December 2025

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Recently, I joined the Bishops of the United States in issuing a pastoral letter expressing our concerns regarding the current, disturbing climate of fear and anxiety experienced by many in our communities due to mass expulsions. It is in this environment – and with a heavy heart – that I am compelled to write to the faithful of Baton Rouge in this time of uncertainty.

With the recent publicized arrival of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers into south Louisiana and greater Baton Rouge, and since many of the faithful genuinely fear immigration enforcement actions, thereby making it untenable for them to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, I hereby grant a dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass for those Catholics rightfully afraid to participate in Mass because of their fear. This dispensation will be valid until the individual Catholic determines it is safe to attend Mass again or this dispensation is revoked or amended.

Those who choose to stay at home should gather as a family and spend time in prayer to keep the Lord’s Day holy. Reading the daily Mass readings, praying the rosary, or reciting a novena for intercessory protection are all suitable alternative spiritual practices for those accepting this dispensation.

These expulsions are affecting not only our Catholic Hispanic brothers and sisters but also refugees and immigrants of all denominations from other nations who form the rich tapestry of our local communities. These are our neighbors, coworkers, and parishioners.

National security and the protection of human dignity are not incompatible. We must advocate for a just solution to this difficult situation in our country. But for now, let us pray for those immediately affected, especially during this Advent season – a time in which we should be anticipating the joy of Christmas, surrounded by our family in celebration, instead of the experience of anxiety and fear. As Pope Leo XIV reminds us, “God has a special place in his heart for those who are discriminated against and oppressed, and he asks us, his Church, to make a decisive and radical choice in favor of the weakest” (Dilexi te, §16). Through our prayers and actions, may those who are suffering know that Jesus’ words are addressed personally to each of them.

Hope in the Lord,

Most Reverend Michael Duca
Bishop of Baton Rouge

Archbishop Aymond grants dispensation for Catholics rightfully afraid to attend mass during immigration enforcement actions

An Important Letter from Archbishop Aymond

December 8, 2025

by Archbishop Aymond

December 8, 2025

To All Clergy, Religious, and Laity of the Archdiocese of New Orleans:

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

As I write to you, our immigrant sisters and brothers are facing real fear and anxiety in the wake of an increase in immigration enforcement actions. Let me first assure them of my prayerful support in the face of these challenging times. I implore all people of faith and goodwill to join me in prayer for our families and our community and ask on behalf of our immigrant families and communities that we work for real justice and a system that protects and preserves the dignity of the human person and families regardless of where they live or from where they come.

I have been made aware that many of our faithful families have chosen not to leave their homes out of fear of encountering immigration enforcement actions. In light of these circumstances, I am granting a dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass for those Catholics rightfully afraid to participate in Mass because of their fear. This dispensation will be valid until the individual Catholic determines it is safe to attend Mass again or this dispensation is revoked or amended.

I encourage those who choose to stay home to gather as a family to spend time in prayer and to perhaps participate virtually in the Celebration of the Eucharist either online or on television. Please continue to pray for our community and for peace as we look ahead with hope to you rejoining us in church and full participation in the Sacraments.

God is faithful. Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, pray for us.

Wishing you God’s blessings, I am,

Sincerely in Christ,

Most Reverend Gregory M. Aymond
Archbishop of New Orleans

Monday, December 8, 2025

Reparation, remembrance and rebirth in Minneapolis

3 months after fatal shooting, Minneapolis church is restored for worship

written by Joe Ruff

The faithful gather with Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis and Auxiliary Bishops Kevin T. Kenney and Michael Izen, Father Dennis Zehren, pastor of Annunciation, Father Tom Margevicius, master of ceremonies, and Deacons Kevin Conneely and Eric Cooley in front of the main doors to Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis Dec. 6, 2025, for the "Rite of Reparation After the Desecration of a Church." (OSV News photo/Joe Ruff, The Catholic Spirit)

MINNEAPOLIS (OSV News) — On a cold, wintery day, with the congregation gathered around Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis and Auxiliary Bishops Kevin T. Kenney and Michael Izen outside the main doors of Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, the rite of reparation began Dec. 6 that restored the space for worship.

The special Mass was held more than three months after an Aug. 27 shooting during an all-school Mass killed two students — 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski — and injured 18 students and three adults. The suspected shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene, police said.

“My brothers and sisters, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead proclaims that evil and death do not have the final word; God does,” the archbishop prayed outside the church, with temperatures in the low 20s.

“An Easter preface of the Eucharistic prayer proclaims, ‘By dying, he destroyed our death, and by rising, restored our life,'” the archbishop prayed. “As our archdiocesan patron St. Paul asserted, ‘Where, O death, is your victory: Where, O death, is your sting?’

“Our Blessed Mother lived this faith and cooperated with God’s plan for her life, despite the difficulties it would occasion. We profess that our souls now will rejoin hers in proclaiming the greatness of the Lord in this church, dedicated in her honor, and now reclaimed for the glory of God.”

Litany materials suggested prayers related to rite of reparation

Accompanied by chanting of the Litany of the Saints, servers entered the church carrying incense, the cross and candles, followed by the bishops, vested in purple, deacons, and priests of the archdiocese in white vestments, other liturgical ministers and all the assembly.

The parish asked that the media not be allowed inside for the Mass. Materials prepared for the rite suggested that part of the litany would include prayers related to the rite of reparation, including the faithful praying “bring healing to those who were injured,” “bring healing and comfort to those suffering the harm done to their children,” and “restore the sanctity of this church, dedicated to your glory and the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”

Inside the church, the altar was bare, unadorned with candles, altar cloths, flowers or other displays of joy, the materials stated. Archbishop Hebda, Bishop Kenney and Bishop Izen processed to their chairs.

A deacon filled two vessels with water and the congregation joined the archbishop in prayer as he blessed the water “which will be sprinkled on us as a memorial of our baptism; it was used when this sacred space was first consecrated, and will now be used in reparation for the evils which have occurred.”

Escorted by deacons, Archbishop Hebda and Father Dennis Zehren, pastor of Annunciation, sprinkled the altar and sanctuary, the church walls and the congregation with the holy water.

Readings from the first Saturday of Advent included verses from Isaiah proclaiming, “O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem, no more will you weep; He will be gracious to you when you cry out, as soon as he hears he will answer you.”

The Gospel from Matthew recounted Jesus visiting towns and villages, teaching in synagogues, proclaiming “the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness.”
After the readings and Archbishop Hebda’s homily, the altar was prepared for the celebration of the Eucharist, and the Mass proceeded.

In notes prepared for his homily, the archbishop began by recounting the “blustery day in March of 1963, as the church universal was engaged in the renewal brought about by the Second Vatican Council, this church was formally dedicated by Archbishop (Leo) Binz.”

The parish had been in existence for more than 40 years, and the building had been in use for a few months, the archbishop wrote.

“As part of that ritual, Archbishop Binz would have anointed the altar and walls of the church with sacred chrism,” he continued, “the same chrism that is used to claim an infant as a child of God in baptism, the same chrism that is used at confirmation to seal us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the same chrism with which the hands of a priest are anointed, the same chrism that is poured on the head of a bishop on the day of his ordination.

“The anointing with sacred chrism is a sign of being set aside for God, of being claimed by God,” the archbishop wrote. “If there was any question about that in the case of Annunciation Church, one would only have to look at the inscription on the facade: ‘This is the house of God and the gate of heaven.'”

People of the community as living stones

The readings at a Mass of dedication don’t focus on the building, the archbishop noted. “But rather on the people who make up the community that will worship there, the living stones, who, being nourished by the Eucharist and strengthened by the other sacraments, are called to go out of the church, out of the sacred space, and renew the world.”

Still, the building is important in part as “an architectural recognition of the truth that we’re all created to give God praise.”

“We know all too well what happened here, however, on the morning of Aug. 27. This safe haven, this place of refuge, this foretaste of the order of the heavenly kingdom, was disturbed by a chaos that no one could have imagined,” the archbishop wrote. “It’s for that chaos that we’ve come together to engage in this act of penance and reparation this day.

A cross with the name of 10-year-old shooting victim Harper Moyski stands amid flowers in a makeshift memorial outside Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis Sept. 3, 2025. The shooter opened fire with a rifle through the windows of the church Aug. 27 and struck children from the parish school who were attending Mass during the first week of school, killing two and wounding 21 others. (OSV News photo/Alex Wroblewski, pool via Reuters)

“This community will never forget what happened that day and will forever remember with great love Harper and Fletcher, whose beautiful and inspiring lives were cut short as they and fellow students gathered for the Eucharist,” he added.

The archbishop expressed gratitude for Father Zehren and Matt DeBoer, principal of Annunciation Catholic School, and for the children and parishioners of Annunciation, for reminding the faithful that Aug. 27 wasn’t the end of the story.

“I’ve never seen such an outpouring of love and mutual support as I have witnessed here these last three months,” the archbishop wrote. “The sorrow understandably lingers, but there’s a Christ-centered resilience here that is remarkable — and praise God — it’s been contagious.

Advent the appropriate time for rite of reparation

“Today we gather penitentially for this rite of reparation in the hope of restoring the order that Christ desires for his Church, his family. We cannot undo the tragic loss of Fletcher and Harper, but we can communicate to the world that we recognize that the power of God is far in excess of any evil; that where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more,” he wrote.

“We cannot let Satan win, and we, by God’s grace, reclaim this space today for Christ and his Church.”

The light that illuminates and reminds the faithful of Christ’s presence in the tabernacle and in the community must be shared with others, the archbishop said.

Advent is an appropriate time for the rite of reparation as the church prepares for Christmas and the reality that Jesus came into the world, took on weak human flesh to be with sadness and grief, to be with the Moyskis and the Merkels, and with all those impacted by the tragedy of Aug. 27, the archbishop wrote.

“I thank you for being with me this morning,” the archbishop wrote, “for praying with me for God’s blessing on this space and this community. May it be a moment of true renewal for our Church, here at Annunciation and throughout our archdiocese. Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever.”

Saint of the Day for Tuesday

St. Juan Diego

Feastday: December 9
Patron: of Indigenous people
Birth: 1474
Death: 1548
Beatified: May 6, 1990, by Pope John Paul II
Canonized: July 31, 2002, by Pope John Paul II

Saint Juan Diego was born in 1474 as Cuauhtlatoatzin, a native to Mexico. He became the first Roman Catholic indigenous saint from the Americas.

Following the early death of his father, Juan Diego was taken to live with his uncle. From the age of three, he was raised in line with the Aztec pagan religion but always showed signs of having a mystical sense of life.

He was recognized for his religious fervor, his respectful and gracious attitude toward the Virgin Mary and his Bishop Juan de Zumarraga, and his undying love for his ill uncle.

When a group of 12 Franciscan missionaries arrived in Mexico in 1524, he and his wife, Maria Lucia, converted to Catholicism and were among the first to be baptized in the region. Juan Diego was very committed to his new life and would walk long distances to receive religious instruction at the Franciscan mission station at Tlatelolco.

On December 9, 1531, Juan Diego was in a hurry to make it to Mass and celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. However, he was stopped by the beautiful sight of a radiant woman who introduced herself, in his native tongue, as the "ever-perfect holy Mary, who has the honor to be the mother of the true God."

Mary told Juan Diego she was the mother of all those who lived in his land and asked him to make a request to the local bishop. She wanted them to build a chapel in her honor there on Tepeyac Hill, which was the site of a former pagan temple.

When Juan Diego approached Bishop Juan de Zumarraga telling of what happened, he was presented with doubts and was told to give the Bishop time to reflect on the news.

Later, the same day, Juan Diego encountered the Virgin Mary a second time and told her he failed in granting her request. He tried to explain to her he was not an important person, and therefore not the one for the task, but she instead he was the man she wanted.

Juan Diego returned to the Bishop the next day and repeated his request, but now the Bishop asked for proof or a sign the apparition was real and truly of heaven.

Juan Diego went straight to Tepeyac and, once again, encountered the Virgin Mary. After explaining to her what the Bishop asked, she agreed and told him she'd provide him with proof on the next day, December 11.

However, on the next day, Juan Diego's uncle became very sick, and he was obligated to stay and care for him. Juan Diego set out the next to find a priest for his uncle. He was determined to get there quickly and didn't want to face the Virgin Mary with shame for missing the previous day's meeting.

But the Virgin Mary intercepted him and asked what was wrong. He explained his situation and promised to return after he found his uncle a priest.

She looked at him and asked "No estoy yo aqui que soy tu madre?" (Am I not here, I who am your mother?) She promised him his uncle would be cured and asked him to climb to the hill and collect the flowers growing there. He obeyed and found many flowers blooming in December on the rocky land. He filled his tilma (cloak) with flowers and returned to Mary.

The Virgin Mary arranged the flowers within his cloak and told him this would be the sign he is to present to the bishop. Once Juan Diego found the bishop, he opened his cloak, and the bishop was presented with a miraculous imprinted image of the Virgin Mary on the flower-filled cloak.

The next day, Juan Diego found his uncle fully healed from his illness. His uncle explained he, too, saw the Virgin Mary. She also instructed him on her desires to have a church built on Tepeyac Hill, but she also told him she wanted to be known with the title of Guadalupe.

News of Juan Diego's miracle quickly spread, and he became very well-known. However, Juan Diego always remained a humble man.

The bishop first kept Juan Diego's imprinted cloak in his private chapel but then placed it on public display in the church built on Tepeyac Hill the next year.

The first miracle surrounding the cloak occurred during the procession to Tepeyac Hill when a participant was shot in the throat by an arrow shot in celebration. After being placed in front of the miraculous image of Mary, the man was healed.

Juan Diego moved into a little hermitage on Tepeyac Hill and lived a solidarity life of prayer and work. He remained there until his death on December 9, 1548, 17 years after the first apparition.

News of Our Lady's apparitions caused a wave of nearly 3,000 Indians a day to convert to the Christian faith. Details of Juan Diego's experience and Mary's words moved them deeply.

During the revolutions in Mexico, at the beginning of the 20th century, nonbelievers attempted to destroy the Image with an explosion. The altar's marble steps, the flower-holders, and the basilica windows were all very damaged, but the pane of glass protecting the Image was not even cracked.

Juan Diego's imprinted cloak has remained perfectly preserved from 1531 to present time. The "Basilica of Guadalupe" on Tepeyac Hill has become one of the world's most-visited Catholic shrines.

St. Juan Diego was beatified on May 6, 1990, by Pope John Paul II and canonized on July 31, 2002. His feast day is celebrated on December 9, and he is the patron saint of Indigenous people.

On the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception Pope Leo XIV delivers Angelus Address

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Pope at Angelus: Believe as Mary believed, say ‘yes’ to God

On the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Leo XIV prays the Angelus and invites the faithful to believe as Mary did, and to welcome Christ into their lives.

By Isabella H. de Carvalho

On Monday, December 8, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Leo XIV encouraged the faithful to believe in God as the Blessed Virgin Mary did and thus give “our generous assent to the mission to which the Lord calls us”.

He spoke to the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the recitation of the Angelus prayer on this feast day, where the Church celebrates how Mary, at the moment of her conception, was preserved from original sin by a unique grace from God, given in view of the future merits of Christ’s redemption.

“The ‘yes’ of the Mother of the Lord is wonderful, but so also can ours be, renewed each day faithfully, with gratitude, humility and perseverance, in prayer and in concrete acts of love, from the most extraordinary gestures to the most mundane and ordinary efforts and acts of service,” the Pope emphasized.

“In this way, Christ can be known, welcomed and loved everywhere, and salvation can come to everyone.”

The Pope leaves us free to accept what he gives us

In his address, the Pope highlighted how the Lord gave the Virgin Mary “the extraordinary grace of a completely pure heart” in light of the coming of Christ. As the Angel Gabriel greeted her by saying “Hail, full of grace: the Lord is with you,” she discovered and welcomed her mission “with the wonder typical of the humble,” the Pope continued.

“With faith she responded with her ‘yes’: ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word’,” the Pope explained, citing the Gospel of Luke, verse 38.

He emphasized how this grace was able to bear fruit in Mary “because she, in her freedom, welcomed it, embracing the plan of God.” “The Lord always acts in this way: he gives us great gifts, but he leaves us free to accept them or not,” the Pope insisted.

He, in fact, cited St. Augustine, who said “we also believe, because that which came to be [in her] can also benefit us.” Pope Leo thus encouraged the faithful to believe simply as the Blessed Virgin did and welcome whatever mission God calls one to.

The importance of our Baptism

The Pope also highlighted the importance of the sacrament of Baptism in allowing Jesus to enter one’s life: “The miracle, which took place at Mary’s conception, was renewed for us in Baptism: cleansed from original sin, we have become children of God, his dwelling place and the temple of his Spirit.”

He explained that just as Mary, “by means of a special grace,” was able to welcome Christ in herself and then bring him to others, so too the sacrament of Baptism allows Jesus “to live in us and allows us to live united with him, to cooperate in the Church, each according to his or her condition, for the transformation of the world.”

Afternoon appointment in Piazza di Spagna

After having greeted various groups present in St Peter's Square, the Pope reminded the faithful that during the afternoon, he would pay homage to the Virgin Mary at the feet of the Spanish Steps in Rome, where a statue of Our Lady stands.

Every year, on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Pope crosses the city bringing a basket of flowers that he lays at the base of the column on which she is placed. Earlier in the day, a team of firemen take their own posy of flowers to the top of the 27-meter column and place it in her arms.

Pope Leo XIV continues Papal Tradition of Praying at the Immaculate Conception monument in Rome

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Pope Leo: Blessed Virgin Mary, watch over this humanity

Continuing a decades-old tradition of paying homage to the statue of the Immaculate Conception in Rome, Pope Leo prays at the foot of the 12-meter column on top of which the figure of the Virgin Mary is placed, and lays a wreath at the base.

By Kielce Gussie

Within 100 years of the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, the tradition of sending flowers to the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Piazza di Spagna in Rome had begun with Pope Pius XII. A few years later in 1958, Pope Saint John XXIII went to Piazza di Spagna and placed a basket of white roses at the foot of the statue.

Pope Leo made his way through the streets of Rome in the popemobile to the Piazza di Spagna (@Vatican Media)

Continuing this decades-old practice started by his predecessors, Pope Leo XIV marked 8 December—the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception—with a visit to the Piazza di Spagna.

A moment for Mary

As the Holy Father arrived in the Piazza di Spagna, the choir and assembly sang a Marian hymn entitled “You rise more beautiful than the dawn”. The Vicar of Rome, Cardinal Baldassare Reina and the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, welcomed the Pope as he arrived.

After an opening prayer, Pope Leo offered a bouquet of flowers at the base of the 12 meter (39-foot) tall column of the Immaculate Virgin and the choir prayed the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary in song.

This tradition dates back to the 1900s (@Vatican Media)

Then the Pope offered a prayer dedicated to the Virgin:

Hail, O Mary! Rejoice, full of grace, filled with that grace which, like a gentle light, makes radiant all those on whom the presence of God shines. The Mystery has wrapped you round from the beginning; from your mother’s womb it began to accomplish great things in you, things that soon asked for your consent—that “Yes” which inspired so many other “yeses.”

Immaculate one, Mother of a faithful people, your purity bathes Rome in eternal light, your path fills its streets with a fragrance sweeter than the flowers we offer you today. Many pilgrims from all over the world, O Immaculate Virgin, have walked the streets of this city throughout history and in this jubilee year. A humanity tested, at times crushed, humble as the very earth from which God shaped it and into which He does not cease to breathe His life-giving Spirit.

Look, O Mary, upon so many sons and daughters whose hope has not been extinguished: may what your Son has sown in them take root and grow—He, the living Word, who in each person asks to grow still more, to take on flesh, face, and voice. May jubilee hope blossom in Rome and in every corner of the earth, hope in the new world God is preparing, of which you, O Virgin, are like the bud and the dawn. After the holy doors, may other doors now open—doors of homes and oases of peace where dignity may flourish again, where people may learn nonviolence and the art of reconciliation.

May the kingdom of God come—the newness you longed for so deeply and to which you opened yourself completely, as a child, as a young woman, and as mother of the nascent Church. Inspire new insights in the Church that journeys in Rome and in the particular Churches which, in every context, gather up the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of our contemporaries—especially the poor and all those who suffer.

May baptism continue to bring forth men and women holy and immaculate, called to become living members of the Body of Christ—a Body that acts, consoles, reconciles, and transforms the earthly city in which the City of God is being prepared. Intercede for us, grappling with changes that seem to find us unprepared and powerless. Inspire dreams, visions, and courage—you who know better than anyone that nothing is impossible for God, and also that God does nothing alone.

Set us on our way, with the haste that once moved your steps toward your cousin Elizabeth, and with the trembling eagerness with which you became an exile and pilgrim—to be blessed, yes, but blessed among all women, first disciple of your Son, mother of God-with-us. Help us to be always a Church with and among the people, leaven in the dough of a humanity crying out for justice and hope. Immaculate one, woman of infinite beauty, watch over this city, over this humanity. Point them to Jesus, lead them to Jesus, present them to Jesus. Mother, Queen of Peace, pray for us.

Before departing the Piazza, Pope Leo spent time greeting a number of the 30,000 people gathered for the event—a number of children, the elderly and the sick.