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Pope Francis reiterates the "urgency of promoting peace" in a letter published on July 17, 2024. The missive marks the 1,500th anniversary of the devotion of the Virgin Mary Romanae Portus Securitatis (“Port of Roman Safety”). The icon, venerated in the church of Santa Maria al Portico in Rome's historic center, is one of the images that Romans invoke to protect the Eternal City.
An early apparition of Mary
According to tradition, this medieval icon commemorates an apparition of the Virgin Mary. It occurred on July 17, 524, at the home of St. Galla, a Christian from a wealthy Roman family, when the city was in the grip of a plague. The pope of the time, John I, is said to have rushed with the people to witness this supernatural event. Soon afterwards, the city was freed from the epidemic.
This was the starting point for a devotion that has continued over the centuries. The porch of noble St. Galla's house — the portico — gave its name to the church that was later built there.
The commemorative icon, for its part, was invoked as "protector and liberator" of the city of Rome, and carried in procession during times of calamity throughout history.
Since the 17th century, the Clerics Regular of the Mother of God (OMD) have been the custodians of the church and its icon. St. John Leonardi founded this order of priests in 1574, and they are now present in Italy, Chile, Nigeria, Indonesia, and India.
Pope Francis sent his letter to the rector of this order, Fr. Antonio Piccolo.
Helping the poor and working for peace
In commemoration of the anniversary of "Santa Maria in Portico," the Argentine pontiff invites Catholics to "promote the value of welcoming the poor and the least, so that the places we inhabit and the churches themselves may be a portico open to the world, in which to offer consolation and relief."
The Pope pays tribute to his predecessor John I, "who suffered and died for peace without repudiating the faith, taken hostage by political plots and fratricidal violence."
In the ups and downs of the conflicts between Rome and Constantinople, Pope John I was imprisoned and killed by the emperor Theodoric.
For Francis, the 1,500th anniversary of the cult of Mary Romanae Portus Securitatis underlines "the urgency of promoting peace, of praying for peace" in the face of "the current situation."
