A white rose was placed on Pope Francis' tomb on Sunday, April 27. And it's more than just a beautiful touch.
According to Vatican News, the rose is a symbol of the bond between Francis and St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the French saint for whom the Argentine pontiff had a particular devotion.
The Holy See's official media outlet reports that, a few days after his discharge from Gemelli Hospital – on March 23 – the Pope received a white rose from Lisieux. "He kept it on a nightstand next to his bed," it reads.
It's a tradition that St. Thérèse shows her favor with roses. This is rooted in something that the young saint promised:
“I will send down a shower of roses from the heavens; I will spend my heaven doing good upon earth.”
The Pope's tradition
St. Thérèse might have spoken of "roses" as a metaphor for the graces she would intercede for, however, many of the faithful attest that actual roses seem to come in response to their prayers to the saint.
In fact, Pope Francis himself had this experience, as he described to journalists on his way to Manila in 2015.
I have the habit, when I do not know how things are going, of asking St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus that if she takes care of some problem, anything at all, to send me a rose. At times she does, but in odd ways. In the same way, I asked her watch over this journey and to send me a rose.
Pope Francis found in St. Thérèse a faithful friend and an example. He wrote an apostolic exhortation about the saint in 2023, which he called, in French, C’est la confiance ... It is confidence.
The document begins:
“C’est la confiance et rien que la confiance qui doit nous conduire à l’Amour.” “It is confidence and nothing but confidence that must lead us to Love.”
These striking words of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face say it all. They sum up the genius of her spirituality and would suffice to justify the fact that she has been named a Doctor of the Church. Confidence, “nothing but confidence,” is the sole path that leads us to the Love that grants everything. With confidence, the wellspring of grace overflows into our lives, the Gospel takes flesh within us and makes us channels of mercy for our brothers and sisters.
