FROM: VATICAN NEWS
15 March 2020, 18:21
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-03/pope-francis-mary-prayer-crucifix-coronavirus.html
Pope Francis left the Vatican on Sunday to visit two important pilgrimage sites in Rome to pray for the city and the world, in the midst of the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak.
By Vatican News
Two intense moments of prayer: one before the ancient icon of Maria Salus Populi Romani at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, and the other at the foot of a wooden crucifix that protected Rome from a great plague.
Pope Francis spent his afternoon on the Third Sunday of Lent seeking to underline his closeness to those who suffer by imploring the special protection of Our Lady.
Mary before the Cross
The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, announced the Pope’s visits in a communique on Sunday.
“This afternoon, just after 4 PM, Pope Francis left the Vatican and made a private visit to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, to offer a prayer to the Virgin Mary, Salus Populi Romani, where her icon is kept and venerated. Then, after taking a walk along the Via del Corso – as if making a pilgrimage – he visited the church of San Marcello on the Corso, where a miraculous crucifix is housed. In 1522 it was carried in procession throughout the neighborhoods of the city so that the “Great Plague” might cease in Rome. With his prayer, the Holy Father pleaded for an end to the pandemic that has struck Italy and the world. He also implored the healing of the many sick people, remembered the numerous victims of these past days, and asked that their families and friends might find consolation and comfort. His prayer intention was also extended to healthcare workers, doctors, nurses, and all those working in these days to guarantee the smooth functioning of society. The Holy Father returned to the Vatican around 5:30 PM.”
Devotion to the Marian icon
Pope Francis’ special devotion to Our Lady Salus Populi Romani is well-known. He visits her icon on major Marian feast days, and makes a point to stop in for a prayer both before and after his international Apostolic Journeys.
In 593 Pope St. Gregory the Great carried the icon in procession to stop a plague. And in 1837 Pope Gregory XVI invoked her to put an end to a cholera epidemic.
Miraculous crucifix
The Pope’s second stop on Sunday was also significant, considering the critical moment the world is going through.
The church of San Marcello on the Corso houses a venerated wooden crucifix from the 15th century, which scholars hold is the most realistic in Rome. It even survived a fire, and saved the city from a plague. Pope St. John Paul II embraced that same crucifix to mark the culmination of the Day of Forgiveness during the Jubilee Year of 2000.
From the ashes
The numerous traditions of miracles attributed to the “Most Holy Crucifix” began on 23 May 1519.
On that night a large fire completely destroyed the church that bears Pope Marcel’s name. The entire building was found in ruins the next morning. But from the ashes emerged the crucifix of the main altar, untouched. A small oil lamp still burned at the Crucified’s feet.
The scene greatly touched the faithful of Rome, and several began to meet every Friday evening to pray. Pope Leo X ordered the rebuilding of the church in 1519.
To stop Rome’s great plague
Three years after the fire, Rome was hit by the “Great Plague”.
The faithful carried the crucifix in procession – despite the bans understandably put in place by the authorities to halt the spread of the contagion. The crucifix was carried through the streets of Rome toward St. Peter’s Basilica. The procession lasted 16 days: from 4 to 20 August 1522. As it progressed, the plague showed signs of retreating, and every neighborhood sought to keep the crucifix as long as possible.
Finally, as the crucifix reentered the church, the plague ceased altogether.
Since 1600, the procession from the church of San Marcello to St. Peter’s Basilica became a tradition repeated during Holy Years. The names of the Popes who called each Jubilee are inscribed on the back of the crucifix, along with the year.
On Sunday, March 15, 2020, Pope Francis visited Santa Maria Maggiore and San Marcello al Corso
Pope Francis invoked from God an end to the pandemic in Italy and all over the world, healing for the sick, and peace for those who have died and for their families. He also prayed for doctors, nurses and all the people who are still working for the good of the society.
Aleteia EN - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFzlPMQovao
The facade of the Church of San Marcello al Corso
La visita di Papa Francesco nella chiesa di San Marcello al Corso a Roma per pregare ai piedi del crocifisso del XIV secolo. Parla il rettore.
TG2000 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0mO5sfAvkE
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The church of San Marcello al Corso hosts a wonderful, dark wooden crucifix by the fourteenth century Sienese school. The sculpture is covered with gold dust and it is considered by scholars to be the most realistic model of the crucifix. Many stories of miracles attributed to the statue by the Romans - the first dates back to 1519 when the crucifix hung in the nearby church of the Oratorio del Santissimo Crocifisso which caught fire on the night between 22 and 23 May and was completely destroyed. At dawn the people rushed to the church - the scene was of great desolation but the crucifix remained intact and remained above the altar, lit by oil lamps… Immediately a group of devotees began to gather every Friday night at dusk to pray and light lamps at the feet of the statue. The so called Confraternita del Santissimo Crocifisso still exists today.
Another miraculous episode dates back to the time of the great plague of 1522. The plague struck Rome so violently as to cause concern that the city remained without inhabitants. Mindful of the miracle of the fire, the friars of the order of the “Servants of Mary” decided to take the crucifix in penitential procession from the church of San Marcello to St. Peter's Basilica. The authorities, fearing the risk of contagion tried to prevent the religious procession, but the collective despair did not accept the ban and the sculpture of the Saviour was carried through the streets of the city and followed by public acclaim. The chronicles of the time say that the procession lasted sixteen days, 4 to 20 August of that year. And that's because, as they proceeded, the plague receded, so that each district was trying to hold back as long as possible the sacred image. When it returned to San Marcello, the plague had completely ceased and Rome was saved.
Since 1650, the venerated crucifix is carried to St. Peter, on the occasion of Holy Years.
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Procession with the venerated Crucifix in 1931
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From the Sagrato of St Peter's Basilica, Moment of Prayer and the Urbi et Orbi Blessing, presided over by Pope Francis - March 27, 2020
https://medjugorjemalta.blogspot.com/2020/03/from-sagrato-of-st-peters-basilica.html
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Pope John Paul II on the Day of Pardon, March 12, 2000
http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/homilies/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_20000312_pardon.html
DAY OF PARDON MASS
https://www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/research_sites/cjl/texts/cjrelations/resources/documents/catholic/johnpaulii/day_of_pardon_mass.htm
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http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/homilies/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_20000312_pardon.html
DAY OF PARDON MASS
https://www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/research_sites/cjl/texts/cjrelations/resources/documents/catholic/johnpaulii/day_of_pardon_mass.htm
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