Pope Francis Entrusts the World to Mary
St. Peter’s Square Ceremony Draws Over 100,000
Before a congregation of more than 100,000 in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, Pope Francis formally entrusted the world to Mary.
Standing before the statue of Mary—ordinarily housed in the shrine at Fatima, Portugal—the Pope said:
“We are confident that each of us is precious in your sight. Guard our lives in your arms, bless and strengthen every desire for goodness.”
A Marian Day in the Year of Faith
Celebrating Mary as a Model of Faithfulness
The short ceremony marked the culmination of a special Marian Day, organized as part of the Year of Faith. During his homily at morning Mass, Pope Francis described Mary as a model of docility, fidelity, and gratitude to God.
“Let us invoke Mary’s intercession,” he said. “May she help us to be open to God’s surprises, to be faithful to him each and every day, and to praise and thank him, for he is our strength.”
Arrival of the Statue of Our Lady of Fatima
A Special Journey from Portugal to Rome
Many in the crowd held small replicas of the crowned statue of Our Lady of Fatima, which had arrived in Rome the day before on a flight from Lisbon. An Italian air force helicopter transported the statue in an ivory-colored, triangular container resembling a musical instrument case.
The statue was first taken to the Mater Ecclesiae monastery, where retired Pope Benedict XVI briefly venerated it in the chapel. Later, Pope Francis welcomed it at the Vatican guesthouse, where he lives.
The October 12 Vigil
Devotion, Reflection, and the Seven Sorrows of Mary
At the beginning of a prayer vigil in St. Peter’s Square, four attendants carried the statue on a litter through the crowd and up to the front of the basilica. Pilgrims waved white handkerchiefs in a traditional sign of devotion.
Pope Francis led the vigil, which included the recitation of the seven sorrows of Mary. In his catechetical reflection, he urged believers to imitate Mary by letting Christ live through them:
“Believing in Jesus means giving him our flesh with the humility and courage of Mary,” he said, “so that he can continue to dwell in our midst. It means giving him our hands, to caress the little ones and the poor; our feet, to go forth and meet our brothers and sisters; our arms, to hold up the weak and to work in the Lord’s vineyard; our minds, to think and act in the light of the Gospel; and especially our hearts, to love and to make choices in accordance with God’s will.”
A Message to the World’s Shrines
Mary as a Guide to Her Son
Later that evening, Pope Francis sent a video message to the faithful gathered at 10 Marian shrines around the world. He emphasized Mary’s role in leading the faithful to Christ:
“Mary points to Jesus. She asks us to bear witness to Jesus, she constantly guides us to her son Jesus, because in him alone do we find salvation. He alone can change the water of our loneliness, difficulties, and sin into the wine of encounter, joy, and forgiveness. He alone.”
A Pontificate Marked by Marian Devotion
A Deep and Ongoing Connection to Our Lady of Fatima
Pope Francis’s devotion to Mary has been evident since the beginning of his pontificate, when he visited the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome on his first morning as Pope. He later asked the bishops of Portugal to dedicate his pontificate to Our Lady of Fatima.
Remembering the Fatima Apparitions
A Century-Old Message Continues to Inspire
October 13 marks the anniversary of the final apparition of Mary to three shepherd children in Fatima in 1917. Two of them—Blessed Jacinta Marto and her brother Blessed Francisco Marto—were beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2000.
Their cousin, Sister Lucia de Jesus dos Santos, died in 2005. In 2008, Pope Benedict XVI waived the standard five-year waiting period, allowing her cause for canonization to begin earlier than usual.
