At two sacred locations in Rome, Pope Leo XIV offered stirring messages of hope and devotion that echoed through the hearts of pilgrims and faithful alike. As the Church journeys toward the 2025 Jubilee Year, the Holy Father reminded Catholics that now is the time to embrace our identity as signs of hope and to renew our relationship with the Blessed Mother.
Pope Leo XIV made an unexpected appearance at a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica celebrated for Ambassadors of African nations and Jubilee pilgrims. The Mass, held a day after the 62nd Africa Day, was already a significant moment of celebration and reflection. But the Pope’s presence added a deeply personal and pastoral touch.
In off-the-cuff remarks, the Pope emphasized the central call of the Jubilee: “The 2025 Holy Year inspires us all and invites us all to look for hope, but also to be signs of hope.” He challenged every baptized Christian to rise to this mission. “How important it is,” he said, “that each and every baptized person feel himself or herself called by God to be a sign of hope in the world today” (according to Vatican News).
He highlighted how faith empowers believers to live differently—not just during Sunday Mass or on pilgrimage, but every day. “Our faith enables us to see the light of Jesus Christ in our lives,” he said, and it “allows us to be filled with the hope that only Jesus Christ can give us.”
His call to unity was equally powerful. “All of us together will continue to walk united as brothers and sisters… and place those gifts [from God] at the service of others,” he said, thanking both Ambassadors and pilgrims for living out their witness.
Later that same day, Pope Leo XIV visited the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, where he knelt before the revered icon of Salus Populi Romani—Salvation of the Roman People—and offered flowers and the Magnificat in a deeply symbolic act of Marian devotion. Before leaving, he prayed at the tomb of Pope Francis, who is buried in the basilica’s Pauline Chapel.
Emerging to greet the gathered faithful from the loggia, Pope Leo XIV expressed heartfelt gratitude: “Thank you for being here!… I’m truly happy to see you all here and I thank you from the bottom of my heart” (according to Vatican News).
The Pope used the occasion to urge a renewed Marian spirituality: “This is a wonderful moment to renew our devotion to Mary, in the image of Salus Populi Romani, who has accompanied the people of Rome through so many of their trials.” He reminded the crowd that “a relationship with the Mother of God” is not merely a tradition—it is essential to the life of the Church.
Together with the crowd, he prayed the Hail Mary and offered his Apostolic Blessing, concluding with, “God bless you!”
In word and gesture, Pope Leo XIV is guiding the faithful not only to prepare for the Jubilee, but to live its message now—with faith, unity, and devotion to Mary, the Mother of Hope.
