Pope Francis prayed Friday afternoon in the papal basilica of Saint Mary Major, for the success of his next trip to Budapest and Slovakia, which begins next Sunday, September 12, and will last until September 15.
On the afternoon of today, September 10, 2021, at 7:00 p.m., the Holy Father “went to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major to entrust his next trip to Budapest and Slovakia to Our Lady, Salus Populi Romani, in prayer. Then he returned to Santa Marta ”, reports the Press Office of the Holy See.
A special place for the Pope
The Basilica of Santa María la Mayor, where the image of Our Lady of the Snows is located, is a special place for Francis. It is a must-see before embarking on an apostolic journey and on his return after each trip.
Likewise, in March 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pope went to the basilica to pray before this icon and to the church of San Marcello, on Corso, site of the miraculous Crucifix that saved the Eternal City of the plague in the 16th century.
On July 14, when he was discharged after a scheduled colon operation and before returning to the Vatican, the Pontiff went to the Basilica of Santa María la Mayor where, before the icon of the Virgin Mary Salus populi romani , “ He thanked the success of his surgical intervention and offered a prayer for all the sick, especially for those he had encountered during his stay in the hospital ”.
The Basilica of Saint Mary Major
The Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Italian: Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore) or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Papal major basilica and the largest Catholic Marian church in Rome.
The basilica enshrines the venerated image of Salus Populi Romani, depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary as the health and protectress of the Roman people, which was granted a Canonical coronation by Pope Gregory XVI on August 15, 1838, accompanied by his Papal bull Cælestis Regina.
Pursuant to the Lateran Treaty of 1929 between the Holy See and Italy, the Basilica is within Italian territory and not the territory of the Vatican City State. However, the Holy See fully owns the Basilica, and Italy is legally obligated to recognize its full ownership thereof and to concede to it “the immunity granted by International Law to the headquarters of the diplomatic agents of foreign States.” In other words, the complex of buildings has a status somewhat similar to a foreign embassy.
