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CNA Staff, Dec 9, 2024 / 13:10 pm (CNA).
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Pope Francis greets participants in the International Congress on the future of Theology promoted by the Dicastery for Culture and Education, Dec. 9, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media
Vatican City, Dec 9, 2024 / 12:10 pm (CNA).
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Father Chris Alar, MIC, provincial superior of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy Province of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. / Credit: Marians of the Immaculate Conception
CNA Staff, Dec 9, 2024 / 04:00 am (CNA).
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Pope Francis gazes up at the bronze statue of Mary atop the 39.4-foot column at Rome’s Spanish Steps, Dec. 8, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
CNA Newsroom, Dec 8, 2024 / 15:33 pm (CNA).
Pope Francis marked the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception with a spiritual journey across Rome on Sunday, beginning at the Basilica of St. Mary Major and continuing to the Spanish Steps — where he reminded the faithful that “the true Jubilee is inside” — before making an unexpected visit to a painting particularly dear to his heart.
Beginning his Marian devotions at Rome’s most important Marian basilica, the pope prayed before the ancient icon “Salus Populi Romani” (Protectress of the Roman People), echoing his cherished tradition of visiting this beloved image before and after his international trips.
Despite cold and rainy weather, thousands of faithful gathered in Rome’s historic center as the pope continued the long-standing papal tradition of paying homage to the Immaculate Conception at the foot of the Marian column near the Spanish Steps.
The statue of the Immaculate Conception, which sits atop a 12-meter (39.4-foot) high column, was dedicated on Dec. 8, 1857, shortly after the Church proclaimed the doctrine of Mary’s Immaculate Conception. Since the 1950s, beginning with Pope Pius XII in 1953, it has been customary for popes to venerate the statue for the feast day.
At 7 a.m., Rome’s firefighters had continued their own decades-old tradition, ascending to the top of the statue to place a wreath of flowers on the Virgin’s arm. The gesture honors their 220 colleagues who participated in the monument’s inauguration over 166 years ago.
In his prayer at the Spanish Steps, Francis highlighted the significance of Rome’s preparation for the upcoming 2025 Jubilee Year, which he will inaugurate this Christmas Eve by opening the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.
The pope noted that while Rome’s many construction projects preparing for the Jubilee Year cause “not a few inconveniences,” they are also “a sign that Rome is alive, renewing itself, trying to adapt to needs, to be more welcoming and functional.”
“Because, without meaning to,” Francis noted in his prayer, “we risk being totally taken up by organization, by things that need to be done, and then the grace of the Holy Year, which is a time of spiritual rebirth, of forgiveness and social liberation, this jubilee grace may not come well, may be a little suffocated.”
“But your maternal gaze sees beyond,” the pope prayed before the statue. “And I seem to hear your voice that with wisdom tells us: ‘My children, these works are good, but be attentive: do not forget the construction sites of the soul! The true Jubilee is not outside, it is inside: inside of you, inside hearts, inside family and social relationships.’”
The 2025 Jubilee Year, themed around hope, will begin Dec. 24, 2024, with the opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica.
Following the Marian celebration, Francis made an unexpected stop at the Museo del Corso, where he viewed Marc Chagall’s “White Crucifixion.”
The artwork, which depicts Christ’s crucifixion against a backdrop of Jewish suffering, combines religious imagery with historical context. On loan from the Art Institute of Chicago, it is currently on display as part of a range of cultural events leading up to the jubilee year.
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Pope Francis praying the Angelus on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
CNA Newsroom, Dec 8, 2024 / 08:30 am (CNA).
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Pope Francis delivers the homily during Mass on the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception in St. Peter’s Basilica, Dec. 8, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
CNA Newsroom, Dec 8, 2024 / 06:56 am (CNA).
Pope Francis celebrated Mass with the College of Cardinals in St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday, marking the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and concluding a historic week in which 21 new cardinals were inducted into the Catholic Church’s most senior advisory body.
Hundreds of priests and bishops attended the celebration, and the new cardinals concelebrated their first papal Mass after receiving their red hats at Saturday’s consistory.
The Mass honored one of the Church’s most significant Marian feasts, commemorating the dogma formally defined by Pope Pius IX in 1854 that the Blessed Virgin Mary was preserved free from original sin from the moment of her conception.
In his homily during the solemn liturgy, Pope Francis reflected on Mary’s “pure harmony, candor, and simplicity,” focusing on her roles as daughter, bride, and mother.
“‘Hail, full of grace,’” the pope began, quoting Luke 1:28. “With these words in the humble house of Nazareth, the Angel revealed to Mary the mystery of her immaculate heart, preserved free from all stain of original sin from the moment of her conception.”
Drawing parallels between the Virgin Mary and the Church, Pope Francis emphasized that Mary was a “handmaid” not in a servile sense but as one who was “trusted and esteemed” by God.
“There is no salvation without a woman, for the Church herself is also woman,” the pope said, highlighting Mary’s pivotal role in salvation history.
Francis also sharply critiqued contemporary materialism and individualism, warning against “hearts that remain cold, empty, and closed.” He challenged believers, asking: “What is the use of having a full bank account, a comfortable home, and virtual connections if they come at the cost of true love, solidarity, and care for others?”
Addressing the newly created cardinals—representing the universality of the Church across five continents—the pope urged them to be servants to the global Catholic community. “They bring great wisdom from many parts of the world to contribute to the growth and spread of the Kingdom of God,” he said.
Concluding his homily, Pope Francis called for spiritual renewal. “Let us look to Mary Immaculate and ask her to conquer us through her loving heart. May she convert us and lead us to become a community where filial, spousal, and maternal love reign as the rule of life.”
© Catholic World Report