Marian shrines of the world will join the Pope's Saturday rosary for the COVID-19 pandemic

 

On Saturday, Pope Francis will pray a rosary to implore Mary's intercession and protection in the midst of the pandemic.

He will pray live from the replica of the Grotto of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens on May 30, the eve of Pentecost, starting at 11:30 EDT. Accompanying him to Rome will be "men and women representing various categories of people particularly affected by the virus", including a doctor and nurse, a recovered patient and a person who has lost a family member due to COVID-19.

This artificial cave in the Vatican gardens, built between 1902-1905, is a replica of the Lourdes cave found in France. Pope Leo XIII asked for its construction, but was inaugurated by his successor, Pope San Pio X in 1905.

But the pope will not pray alone, joining Francis through the live stream will be one of the most famous Marian shrines in the world.

Archbishop Rino Fisichella, head of the Vatican Council for the new evangelization, sent a letter earlier this month to the rector of shrines around the world, in which he asked them to join the initiative by praying the rosary at the same time , streaming it to live and promote the initiative through social media with the hashtag #pregevainsieme and its translation into the local language, which in English would be #wepray overall.

 

The plan for the broadcast is to combine live images from Rome with those from the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico; Fatima in Portugal; Lourdes in France; the National Pilgrimage Center Elele in Nigeria; Częstochowa in Poland; the National Shrine in the United States; the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in England; numerous Italian sanctuaries, including that of Our Lady of Pompeii, Loretto, Church of San Pio da Pietrelcina; the oratory of San Giuseppe in Canada; Notre Dame de la Paix in Ivory Coast; the Sanctuaries of Our Lady of Lujan and of the Miracle, in Argentina; Aparecida in Brazil; Knocking in Ireland; the Shrine of Our Lady of Covadonga in Spain; the National Shrine of Our Lady Ta'Pinu in Malta and the Basilica of the Annunciation in Israel.

Although the list of sanctuaries obtained by Crux includes many other sanctuaries - mainly from Italy and Latin America - there are no sanctuaries from Asia or Oceania. Sources consulted by Crux say this is mainly due to the time difference: although at 17:30 Rome means 11:30 in some cities in the United States, it also means 1:30 in Sydney.

A spokesman for the Shrine of Our Lady of Lujan, Argentina, one of Pope Francis' favorites when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, said that because of the pandemic, only a "handful" of people will be inside the basilica shortly after noon. locally to join the pope in this "sign of hope and the victory of life over death". The list includes Archbishop Jorge Eduardo Scheinig and the priests who serve in the sanctuary, the mayor of Lujan and some lay men and women who will help create the internet and television.

The pontiff visited this sanctuary at least once a year when he was in Argentina, during the annual pilgrimage between Buenos Aires and Lujan, about 40 miles northwest of the Argentine capital.

 

The letter sent by Fisichella asked the sanctuaries to provide the Vatican with a link for live streaming, so that while the Pope prays, images from different countries will appear in the official stream, which will be available on the Vatican's YouTube channel and on social media pages. of the office that organize the moment of prayer.

In the case of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, in Washington DC, Mgr Walter Rossi, Rector of the Basilica, will lead the Rosary and a spokesman confirmed that they were providing their live streaming to the Vatican, as requested.

Some of the participating sanctuaries - including Fatima, Lourdes and Guadalupe - are located on the sites of the Marian apparitions approved by the Vatican.

The National Pilgrimage Center Elele in Nigeria is among the least known Marian shrines, but has a unique history: according to the center's web page, Elele was known as "a landfill for the victims of the war".

"The situation has been aggravated by the influx of over thirty thousand victims dehumanized by the Maitatsine insurgency from northern Nigeria and subsequently by those displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency," the site said. “People were devastated by war and disoriented. The reality of human suffering has been written on the faces of countless humans. There was no food on earth and many were starving and kwashiorkor [a form of malnutrition]. The people were homeless, many mutilated, rejected and cut down. There were no functional schools, hospitals and even markets. As a result, death in an interval of hours was straining humanity. "

The Basilique Notre-Dame de la Paix in Ivory Coast is, according to Guinness World Records the largest church in the world, although technically it is not: the 320.000 square feet counted for the record also include a rectory and a villa, which is not strictly part of the church. Completed in 1989 and clearly inspired by Saint Peter, Notre-Dame de la Paix is ​​located in the administrative capital of the country, Yamoussoukro. It is such a symbol of national pride that during the decade of civil conflict in the country in the early 2000s, citizens often sought refuge within its walls, knowing that they would never be attacked.

According to a statement released by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization earlier this week, "at the feet of Mary, the Holy Father poses many problems and sorrows for humanity, further aggravated by the spread of COVID-19".

According to the statement, the prayer, which coincides with the end of the Marian month of May, “is another sign of closeness and consolation for those who, in different ways, have been affected by the coronavirus, in the certainty that the heavenly Mother will not ignore requests for protection. "