Rome prays before beloved Crucifix for Pope’s recovery

On February 27, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the Pope’s Vicar for the Diocese of Rome, celebrated a Mass for Pope Francis’ recovery, praying before a revered crucifix housed in San Marcello al Corso.

According to Victoria Cardiel’s article for ACI Prensa, this centuries-old crucifix has long been associated with miraculous healings and divine protection.

The crucifix’s legacy dates back to the night of May 22, 1519, when a fire engulfed San Marcello al Corso, reducing the church to ruins. Astonishingly, the wooden figure of Christ on the altar remained intact. This event marked the beginning of its reputation as miraculous.

Just a few years later, in 1522, when the plague swept through Rome, the faithful carried the crucifix in a solemn procession through the city. As the procession moved, reports of healings multiplied, and by the time it reached St. Peter’s Basilica, the epidemic had subsided. Since then, Romans have regarded the crucifix as a powerful symbol of divine mercy.

Pope Francis himself has turned to this crucifix in moments of crisis. As Cardiel recounts, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the Pope left the Vatican to pray before it, seeking an end to the global suffering.

Shortly after, the crucifix was moved to St. Peter’s Square for the Pope’s historic Urbi et Orbi blessing on March 27, 2020, a moment etched in the collective memory of the Church.

Now, as Pope Francis battles pneumonia at the Gemelli Hospital, the Church in Rome has once again looked to prayer before this crucifix for help. At the Mass, Cardinal Reina reflected on the Pope’s devotion to this sacred image:

He reminded those gathered that Pope Francis once stood in the same church, praying for the healing of a world ravaged by disease. Now, the faithful ask for healing for the Pope himself.

In the face of trials, Rome continues its tradition of turning to this symbol of divine intervention — just as it has for centuries.