Pope Leo XIV prays at the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano, Italy, Saturday, May 10, 2025 / Credit: Vatican MediaCNA Deutsch, May 10, 2025 / 13:42 pm (CNA).Pope Leo XIV on Saturday visited and prayed at a Marian shrine outside of Rome, greeting the community there and urging them to "be faithful to the Mother."The Holy Father visited the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano on Saturday afternoon. The sanctuary, located about an hour east of Rome, is run by the religious of the Order of St. Augustine and "houses an ancient image of the Virgin, dear to the Order and to the memory of Leo XIII," according to the Vatican.Pope Leo XIV visits the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano, Italy, Saturday, May 10, 2025. Credit: Vatican MediaThe pope greeted the religious at the shrine before praying at both the altar and the Marian image there, according to the Vatican. The Holy Father also prayed St. John Paul II's prayer to the Mother of Good Cou...
Pope Leo XIV prays at the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano, Italy, Saturday, May 10, 2025 / Credit: Vatican Media
CNA Deutsch, May 10, 2025 / 13:42 pm (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV on Saturday visited and prayed at a Marian shrine outside of Rome, greeting the community there and urging them to "be faithful to the Mother."
The Holy Father visited the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano on Saturday afternoon. The sanctuary, located about an hour east of Rome, is run by the religious of the Order of St. Augustine and "houses an ancient image of the Virgin, dear to the Order and to the memory of Leo XIII," according to the Vatican.
Pope Leo XIV visits the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano, Italy, Saturday, May 10, 2025. Credit: Vatican Media
The pope greeted the religious at the shrine before praying at both the altar and the Marian image there, according to the Vatican. The Holy Father also prayed St. John Paul II's prayer to the Mother of Good Counsel with the assembly.
"I wanted so much to come here in these first days of the new ministry that the Church has entrusted to me, to carry out this mission as the Successor of Peter," Leo told those present.
The pope told the community that the shrine was "such a great gift" to them.
Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful at the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano, Italy, Saturday, May 10, 2025. Credit: Vatican Media
"As the Mother never abandons her children, you must also be faithful to the Mother," he said. The Holy Father also offered a blessing to those present.
Leo on Saturday also visited the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, where he prayed in front of the tomb of Pope Francis, his immediate predecessor.
Pope Leo XIV prays at the tomb of Pope Francis at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Vatican City, Saturday, May 10, 2025. Credit: Vatican Media
Francis is one of eight popes buried in the papal basilica.
Father James Martin, SJ. / Credit: Flickr by Shawn (CC BY-NC 2.0)Vatican City, Sep 1, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).Pope Leo XIV met in a private audience with Father James Martin, S.J., at the Vatican on Monday.Martin, who is in Rome to lead a Jubilee pilgrimage for his LGBTQ ministry, Outreach, also had one-on-one audiences with Pope Francis on at least two occasions.The Vatican does not customarily comment on papal audiences with individuals and the Holy See Press Office did not immediately respond to a request for information about the meeting.Responding to a request for comment from CNA, Martin wrote: "I was honored and grateful to meet with the Holy Father this morning in an audience in the Apostolic Palace, and heard the same message I heard from Pope Francis on LGBTQ people, which is one of openness and welcome: 'Todos, todos, todos.' I found the Pope serene, joyful and encouraging."The Jesuit priest, an author and editor at large at America Media, is the founder of Outreach, w...
null / Credit: GBALLGIGGSPHOTO/ShutterstockCNA Staff, Sep 1, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).A recent study found that the rate of mental-health-related hospitalizations doubled for women who had abortions compared with women who gave birth. The study, published this summer in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, compared abortions with other pregnancies in hospitals in Quebec, Canada, between 2006 and 2022, tracking data on women for up to 17 years.The study, which compared more than 1.2 million women who gave birth in Quebec hospitals with more than 28,000 women who had abortions, found that "rates of mental-health-related hospitalization were higher following induced abortions than other pregnancies." Abortion was associated with a number of mental-health-related difficulties including hospitalization for psychiatric disorders, substance use disorders, and suicide attempts, the study found.This association was especially high for women who were younger than 25 years at the t...
Members of St. Francis' Work for the Poor, wearing t-shirts with the phrase "a helping hand to man every day," with the Holy Father in the Vatican's Clementine Hall. / Credit: Vatican MediaVatican City, Sep 1, 2025 / 09:47 am (CNA).Pope Leo XIV on Monday welcomed members of the Opera San Francesco per i Poveri ("St. Francis' Work for the Poor") to the Vatican, thanking the society for their witness of charity according to the Franciscan tradition. "When you see a poor person," the Holy Father said, recalling the words of St. Francis of Assisi, "you are placed before the mirror of the Lord and his poor Mother.""Likewise, in the sick, know how to see the infirmities with which Jesus took on himself," he added. Each year, the Opera San Francesco per i Poveri provides a wide variety of services to more than 30,000 people. Their charitable works include managing cafeterias and health clinics, as well as providing job counseling and psychological support for thos...
Pope Leo XIV prays at the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano, Italy, Saturday, May 10, 2025 / Credit: Vatican Media
