{"id":16408,"date":"2020-12-08T01:45:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-08T06:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldcatholicnews.com\/pope-francis-makes-surprise-visit-to-immaculate-conception-statue-in-rain-drenched-rome\/"},"modified":"2020-12-08T01:45:00","modified_gmt":"2020-12-08T06:45:00","slug":"pope-francis-makes-surprise-visit-to-immaculate-conception-statue-in-rain-drenched-rome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldcatholicnews.com\/pope-francis-makes-surprise-visit-to-immaculate-conception-statue-in-rain-drenched-rome\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope Francis makes surprise visit to Immaculate Conception statue in rain-drenched Rome"},"content":{"rendered":"
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CNA Staff, Dec 8, 2020 \/ 01:45 am (CNA<\/a>).- Pope Francis made a surprise visit Tuesday morning to the statue of the Immaculate Conception in Rome\u2019s Piazza di Spagna. The press office added that shortly before 7.15 a.m. the pope left the Spanish Steps and traveled to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where he prayed before the icon<\/a> of Salus Populi Romani<\/em>, Mary Protection of the Roman People.
The Holy See press office said Dec. 8 that the pope had made a private visit to the statue, days after it announced<\/a> that he would not make his customary public afternoon visit to the site due to the pandemic.
\u201cAt 7 a.m. this morning, on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Father went to the Spanish Steps for an act of veneration in private to Mary Immaculate,\u201d the press office said.
\u201cAt the first light of dawn, in the rain, he laid a bouquet of white roses at the base of the column where the statue of Our Lady stands and he turned to Her in prayer, so that she might watch over Rome and its inhabitants with love, entrusting to Her all those in this city and in the world who are afflicted by sickness and discouragement.\u201d
Photographs showed Pope Francis standing at the base of the statue with his head bowed, sheltering beneath a black umbrella in the rain-slicked square.
#8dicembre<\/a>, #PapaFrancesco<\/a> a sorpresa sotto la pioggia in #PiazzadiSpagna<\/a> #Immacolata<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/ttdY0J9nFp<\/a>
\u2014 ACI Stampa (@acistampa) December 8, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n
He then celebrated Mass in the Chapel of Nativity, before returning to the Vatican.
The Vatican announced Nov. 30 that, in place of his traditional afternoon public visit, Pope Francis would mark the feast day with \u201can act of private devotion, entrusting the city of Rome, its inhabitants and the many sick people in every part of the world to Our Lady.\u201d
Holy See press office director Matteo Bruni explained that Francis would not go to the square in the afternoon in order to avoid people gathering and transmitting COVID-19.
La sorpresa di #PapaFrancesco<\/a> a #piazzadispagna<\/a> a #Roma<\/a> per L a tradizionale cerimonia dell\u2019#8dicembre<\/a>, prima che i #vigilidelfuoco<\/a> salissero con l\u2019autoscala su, fino a 27 metri d\u2019altezza, per donare alla #Madonna<\/a> la corona di fiori @Pontifex_it<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/r9TB3iQGPK<\/a>
\u2014 Vigili del Fuoco (@emergenzavvf) December 8, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n