Pope Leo XIV pilgrimage the favorite Marian Sanctuary of John Paul II near Rome

Pope Leo XIV made a private visit on Tuesday, August 19 to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mentorella, mother of graces, near Rome, highlighting her devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

This sanctuary, a place of favorite pilgrimage of Pope San Juan Paul II and close to the picturesque mountain town of Capranica Prenestina, is the fourth Marian sanctuary that the Holy Father has visited since his election on May 8.

The Vatican reported in a brief statement that, after visiting and praying in the sanctuary, Leo XIV spent time with the Polish Congregation of the Resurrectionists, which manages the sanctuary, before returning to Castel Gandolfo.

Located at the top of a small mountain with a view to a vast valley and impressive panoramic, the sanctuary of Our Lady of Grace in Mentorella is said to be founded in the fourth century by Constantine, who wanted to commemorate the place of the conversion of San Eustaquio. Pope Silvestre I consecrated him around the year 335, and in the seventh century the lands were delivered to the Benedictine monks of the nearby Subiaco.

The small church of the sanctuary, with its facade to two waters and ogival windows, dates from the thirteenth century; Behind her there is a mystical cave where it is said that San Benito lived for two years. During his visit this Tuesday, Pope Leo XIV lit a candle and prayed there.

The sanctuary as seen today was developed by the Jesuit scholar P. Atanasio Kircher in the seventeenth century, who believed it was one of the 12 abbeys founded by San Benito. The Pope of then, Innocent XIII, asked that his heart be buried there.

The Polish Congregation of the Resurrectionists has taken care of the sanctuary since 1857.

This sanctuary was the first one that Pope San Juan Paul II visited after his choice in 1978. He made several pilgrimages to Our Lady of Mentorella during his pontificate, using him as a place of prayer and personal reflection. During his visits, he used to appreciate a walking path that leads to the sanctuary, now known as the Wojtyla path, which crosses a captivating landscape of small waterfalls surrounded by red rock.

Benedict XVI also visited the sacred place shortly after his choice in 2005, celebrating Mass there exactly 27 years after the first trip of John Paul II.

The fourth Sanctuary Mariano de León

Until now, Pope León has visited three other Marian sanctuaries, the first was the sanctuary of the mother of the good advice, administered by the Augustinians in Genazzano, approximately one hour by car from Rome, on May 10, two days after his choice. While I was in Genazzano, he left A written note For the Virgin, expressing her devotion to Our Lady of Good Council and asking for help in her new mission.

Has also prayed to the icon Safety of the Roman people In the Basilica of Santa María la Mayor in Rome shortly after his choice – a special place of devotion also for Pope Francis, who is buried there – and on August 17 he celebrated Mass in the Sanctuary of Santa María de la Rotonda in Albano, near his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.

This week’s visit is, therefore, the last example of the obvious Marian devotion of Pope León. Mariologists such as Professor Mark Miravalle from the Franciscan University of Steubenville have indicated a Clara devotion to Maria in the Pontificate of León so far —In common with Leo XIII – as well as possible providential indications, such as your papal choice at the previous festival of the mediator of all graces.

The Pope has repeatedly referred to the Blessed Virgin in his speeches and homilies as a source of comfort, hope and help, particularly for those who face diseases and suffering, encouraging the faithful to grow in devotion To Our Lady.

This week, the Vatican revealed that the Holy Father responded in a magazine to the letter from a mother who shared some of her struggles with faith, inviting her to keep the Virgin Mary as a firm reference point in the midst of difficulties.

In a speech During a pilgrimage in 1978 to the sanctuary of Our Lady of Mentorella, Pope John Paul II said that the sacred place, “hidden among the mountains attracted me in a special way.”

Pointing out that “the Mother of Christ went to the mountain to say her Magnificat”He said that“ this is a place where man opens to God in a special way. A place where – you are of everything and at the same time near nature – we speak confidentially with God himself. It feels in the deepest something that is the personal call of man. ”

Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in the National Catholic Register.