The city of Rome’s celebration of the Marian feast day began at dawn as a firefighter scaled a long ladder to put a fresh wreath of flowers around Mary’s outstretched arms. Locals also laid flowers at the column’s base.
The solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is an annual public holiday across Italy and a date on which Italians traditionally decorate their Christmas trees and Nativity scenes.
Before venerating the statue of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Francis prayed the Angelus prayer at midday from the window of the Apostolic Palace overlooking the crowd gathered near the Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square to mark the day’s Marian feast.
The Vatican’s Nativity scene will be unveiled at a Christmas tree lighting ceremony on the night of Dec. 9 in St. Peter’s Square.
In his Angelus message, Pope Francis reflected on the Virgin Mary’s “daily fidelity in simple things.”
“Prior to the Annunciation, the Gospel says nothing about Mary. She is presented as a simple girl, apparently equal to so many others who were living in her village. A young girl who, precisely because of her simplicity, kept pure that Immaculate Heart with which, by God’s grace, she had been conceived. And this too is important, for to welcome God’s great gifts, it is necessary to know how to treasure those that are more everyday and less apparent,” the pope said.
“It is precisely with her daily fidelity in goodness that Our Lady allowed God’s gift to grow within her. This is how she trained herself to respond to the Lord, to say ‘yes’ to him with her entire life,” he added.
Pope Francis then visited Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major, the oldest Marian sanctuary in the West dedicated to the Mother of God.
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Inside the basilica, the pope prayed before the famous icon known as the Salus Populi Romani — Mary, Protection of the Roman People.
The pope presented the Marian icon with a Golden Rose, a traditional symbol of a papal blessing that dates back to the Middle Ages.
Over the centuries, popes have given Golden Roses to monasteries, sanctuaries, sovereigns, and prominent personalities in recognition of their commitment to the faith and the common good.
Pope Julius III was the first pope to give a Golden Rose to the Salus Populi Romani icon in St. Mary Major in 1551. Pope Paul V also donated a Golden Rose to the basilica in 1613. Both historic golden roses were likely lost in the Napoleonic invasion of the Papal States, according to the basilica.