The Pope to Mary: Teach us to make room for the beauty of God

It was an afternoon dedicated to Mary, as Pope Francis celebrated the feast of the Immaculate Conception. As he announced at his Angelus, Pope Francis venerated the icon of Mary, Salus Populi Romani in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. He also traveled to the Piazza di Spagna, where made the traditional homage to the statue of the Immaculate Conception. In the presence of the mayor of Rome, Ignazio Marino, and thousands of faithful, Pope Francis prayed for the city of Rome, invoking her maternal protection "for us, our families, this city and the whole world." He also prayed that by the power of God’s love that preserved Mary from original sin, that may it free humanity from every form of spiritual a ...