Pope on 150th anniversary of Our Lady of Pompeii: ‘Rediscover the beauty of the rosary’

Vatican City, Nov 11, 2024 / 14:05 pm

To mark the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the image of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeii on Nov. 13, Pope Francis has encouraged Catholics to contemplate the life of Christ “through the gaze of Mary” during the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.

“It is providential that the jubilee of the image of Our Lady of Pompeii coincides with the imminent jubilee year, focused on Jesus our hope,” the pope said in a message to Archbishop Tommaso Caputo of Pompeii. 

“The rosary, a simple instrument within everyone’s reach, can support the renewed evangelization to which the Church is called today,” the Holy Father asserted. 

“We are aware of how it is necessary to rediscover the beauty of the rosary in families and in homes. This prayer is of aid in building peace, and it is important to propose it to the young so that they do not hear it as repetitive and monotonous but as an act of love that never tires of being poured out.” 

In addition to the 150th anniversary of the arrival and veneration of the image of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeii, this year also marks the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea.

“With the 17th centenary of the Council of Nicaea (325), which gave particular prominence to the divine-human mystery of Christ in the light of the Trinity, it is good to rediscover the rosary, in this perspective, in order to assimilate the mysteries of the Savior’s life,” the pope shared with Caputo.

In an interview with EWTN Vaticano, Caputo, who is also the pontifical delegate for Pompeii’s Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Holy Rosary, emphasized that the rosary is “a prayer rooted in the Gospel [and] in the word of God.” 

Approximately 3 million pilgrims travel to the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Holy Rosary each year to venerate the image of Our Lady of Pompeii, which depicts the Mother of God and the Child Jesus giving rosaries to St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Siena.

Calling the shrine’s founder, Blessed Bartolo Longo, “an apostle of the rosary” whose faith was reinvigorated by the motto “If you seek salvation, spread the rosary,” Pope Francis said he hopes Catholics will continue his “most beautiful spiritual legacy” throughout the world.

According to Caputo, the mission of Blessed Bartolo Longo to spread devotion to Our Lady and the rosary is known worldwide, “as there are many churches dedicated to Our Lady of Pompeii across the Americas, Asia, Europe, and even Africa and in the Middle East.”

In his message, the pope highlighted the need for people to “find comfort and hope in the gentle face of the heavenly mother.”

“May the Lord speak again today, to humanity in need of rediscovering the path of concord and fraternity, through the message of Our Lady of Pompeii,” the Holy Father shared.

“It is my hope that her numerous devotees scattered throughout the world will adhere ever more faithfully to the Lord, bearing witness to their brothers and sisters, especially those most in need.”