Pope’s love affair with Mary hits new high with 67th Roman visit
Pope’s love affair with Mary hits new high with 67th Roman visit
ROME – On Tuesday, Pope Francis once again showed his deep devotion to the Virgin Mary by visiting the Basilica of Saint Mary Major—his 67th time as Bishop of Rome—before departing for his Jan. 23–28 visit to Panama.
This ongoing tradition highlights not only his personal spirituality, but also his commitment to his role as the shepherd of the Roman diocese. Since becoming pope, Francis has emphasized his duties as Bishop of Rome, perhaps in contrast to the more itinerant style of St. John Paul II, which left some Romans feeling overlooked.
The basilica, built in 435, houses the icon Salus Populi Romani (“Protectress of the Roman People”), a revered Byzantine image of Mary and the Child Jesus, traditionally believed to have been painted by St. Luke and brought to Rome in the 6th century.
Beloved especially by Jesuits, the icon has been credited with miraculous events over the centuries, including ending the Black Plague, halting a cholera epidemic, and securing victory at the Battle of Lepanto. Francis’s connection to the icon dates to the day after his election in 2013, when he visited the basilica to entrust his papacy to Mary’s intercession. Since then, he has returned to pray before the icon before and after nearly every international trip.
Many of these visits are part of a custom he started with his first papal journey to Rio in 2013. Today, it’s become standard practice for him to pray before the Salus icon before and after any major travel.
The icon has been canonically crowned twice—first in 1838 by Pope Gregory XVI and again in 1954 by Pope Pius XII—and now resides in the Pauline (or Borghese) Chapel of the basilica.
According to legend, the basilica itself was built following a miraculous snowfall on August 5, sometime in the 4th century. Mary is said to have appeared in a dream to Pope Liberius and a Roman couple, asking that a church be built where snow would fall that night. Despite Rome’s famously scorching August weather, snow did fall, and Pope Liberius marked the spot for construction. The basilica was completed a century later by Pope Sixtus III, following the Council of Ephesus, which affirmed Mary as the Mother of God.
To commemorate this miracle, the “Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major” is celebrated annually with a three-day feast, culminating in a Mass during which white flower petals fall from the ceiling to recall the snowfall of 358.
The Salus icon itself has a rich history of miraculous associations. Pope Gregory the Great reportedly carried it in a procession in 590 during a deadly plague, which ended after a vision of Saint Michael was seen sheathing his sword above what is now Castel Sant’Angelo. Centuries later, Pope St. Pius V carried the icon to St. Peter’s Basilica during another plague, after which the disease ceased.
Pope Paul V had the current chapel built in 1605. Later, Pius XII visited the icon in 1950 after proclaiming the dogma of the Assumption, and crowned it again in 1954 to mark the centenary of the Immaculate Conception.
Despite its sacred history, the basilica hasn’t been without controversy. In 2004, the late Cardinal Bernard Law, who had resigned as Archbishop of Boston amid the clerical abuse scandal, was appointed archpriest of the basilica. His transfer to Rome, along with a comfortable residence nearby, was seen by many as a reward rather than a punishment.
Still, devotion to the Salus icon has remained strong. St. John Paul II, known for his Marian devotion and care for young people, included the image in Rome’s 2000 World Youth Day celebrations. Starting in 2005, with the Cologne WYD under Benedict XVI, a copy of the icon has accompanied the WYD cross to every international celebration.
Pope Francis continued this tradition, requesting the icon’s presence at the 2013 WYD in Rio. Most recently, it was displayed in St. Peter’s Square during a special Marian Jubilee in 2016 as part of Francis’s Jubilee of Mercy. There, pilgrims joined the pope in praying the rosary while he faced the image in prayer.
In many ways, the Salus Populi Romani represents the heart of Francis’s papacy: his devotion to Mary, his belief in the power of popular piety, and his desire for a Church that is maternal and close to the people.
And with a busy travel schedule ahead, that count of 67 visits is sure to rise.
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