The Pope’s vicar for the Diocese of Rome, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, celebrated on February 27 a mass for the prompt recovery of the Pontiff, invoking the help of a very venerated miraculous crucifix in the eternal city.
In full coronavirus pandemic, Pope Francis broke the rules of isolation for a good cause. He left the Vatican to move to the church of San Marcello al Corso, where a crucifix is preserved, very revered by all the Romans.
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A little days later the wooden effigy was removed from the altar and transported to the Plaza de San Pedro to be present during the blessing City and the World that the Holy Father made on March 28, 2020.
The miraculous history of this crucifix began when it was inexplicably saved from a violent fire that destroyed this church of Rome on the night of May 22 to 23, 1519. The next morning the entire building had been reduced to debris, but among the ruins the crucifix of the main altar appeared, at the foot of which a small oil lamp still burns.
Experts consider it the most realistic in Rome. San Juan Pablo II hugged him in the closure of the World Day of Forgiveness during the Great Jubilee of 2000.
But the wooden effigy is above all famous for having freed Rome from the plague after being taken in procession to the Basilica of San Pedro in 1522.
The crucifix enjoys the special devotion of Pope Francis, who has been admitted for fifteen days at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome with bilateral pneumonia.
That is why it is not strange that the vicar of the Pope for the Diocese of Rome, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, celebrated a Mass for his speedy recovery invoking the help of this crucifix, so dear to the Holy Father.
“The crucifix that is preserved here speaks of the faith of a people who have trusted him, especially in the moments of difficulty. And we want to renew our trust in the Lord this afternoon, and we do it asking for the gift of health and strength for the Holy Father, “he said in the homily.
In this way, he also recalled that the Pontiff went to this Church, located in the center of Rome, to pray before the crucifix and “ask for the gift of healing” for a humanity that at that time suffered a terrible pandemic.
“Now we invoke health and a lot of strength in this trial time,” insisted the Purpurado Italian.
Victoria Cardiel
Victoria Cardiel is a journalist specialized in social and religious information issues. Since 2013, he has covered all the news of the Vatican for various media, such as the Spanish news agency Europa Press, or the weekly of the Archdiocese of Madrid, Alfa and Omega.