For the second time since his election, Pope Leo XIV visited Saint Mary Major, one of Rome's four papal basilicas and the burial place of Pope Francis, on May 25, 2025. He presided over a prayer service and addressed the faithful of Rome gathered in the square. With this stop, the Pope concluded his afternoon in Rome, which took him to the Capitol, seat of the Rome City Council, and to St. John Lateran, his cathedral as Bishop of Rome.
At the end of the day, Leo XIV, who had just “taken possession” of his episcopal seat at St. John Lateran, traveled 1.5 kilometers (less than one mile) in the popemobile to stop at the Esquiline Hill. On this hill stands the Basilica of St. Mary Major, which houses an ancient representation of the Virgin Mary: the icon Salus Populi Romani, traditionally attributed to St. Luke and dear to the Romans, who have invoked her over the centuries in times of calamity.
During his visit, the new Bishop of Rome paused in front of the icon of the city's protector, laying a wreath of flowers on the altar, just as Pope Francis had done many times. The Holy Father recited a prayer asking the Virgin to guide “the barque of the Church to a port of peace, avoiding dangers and resisting the waves.” He also implored her to protect Rome and console “those who arrive there homeless and defenseless.”
At the end of the 20-minute liturgy, Leo XIV paused for a few moments at the tomb of his predecessor, Francis, as he had done during his first visit on May 10. The Argentine pontiff was buried in this basilica on April 26, according to his last wishes, next to the Virgin Mary, whom he came to honor more than 120 times during his pontificate.
Before leaving the Marian basilica, Leo XIV went up to the loggia — the central balcony built on the façade — as he had done a little earlier at St. John Lateran, to bid a final farewell to the faithful gathered in the square. He gave the brief greeting from both basilicas without using notes.
“I am very happy to find you all here and thank you from the bottom of my heart,” the pontiff said to the cheers of the crowd. He encouraged them in their devotion to the Virgin Mary, “who has so often accompanied the people of Rome in their needs.”
