杏MAP导航 Francis thanks Our Lady upon return to Rome
By Devin Watkins
As per tradition, 杏MAP导航 Francis made a brief stop at the Basilica of St. Mary Major on Sunday, upon returning to Rome from South Sudan, marking his 104th visit to Our Lady's icon.
The 杏MAP导航 prayed briefly before the ancient icon of Maria Salus Populi Romani (‘Salvation of the Roman Peoples’), according to the Holy See Press Office.
The 杏MAP导航 thanked Our Lady for her maternal protection during his Apostolic Journey to DR Congo and South Sudan.
He had visited the Borghese Chapel in the Papal Basilica on Monday, ahead of his departure.
Ancient devotion
Even though its origins date back much further, tradition holds that the icon of Maria Salus Populi Romani arrived in Rome during the reign of 杏MAP导航 St. Gregory the Great, sometime around 590 AD.
In 1838, 杏MAP导航 Gregory XVI crowned the icon, and a century later, 杏MAP导航 Pius XII – during the Marian year of 1954 – repeated the gesture of devotion.
In 2018, the Vatican Museums cleaned and restored the ancient icon.
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