One of the first things that Pope Francis did at the start of his pontificate was to go to St Mary Major to dedicate his pontificate to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate staff the sacristy there so those friars definitely got a chance to meet the Pope. I am jealous! 🙂 Our new Pope seems to be very prayerful.
March 14, 2013 (Romereports.com) (-ONLY VIDEO-) During his first morning as Pope, Francis prayed for nearly 30 minutes at the altar of Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major. He left a floral arrangement at the altar, after entrusting his pontificate to the Virgin Mary.
Ave Maria!
This is such refreshing news! Praying for our New Pope…the Renewed Hope of the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart!
There is a somewhat longer video in Italian here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpwy4XsldQU
Three minutes into the video, you can see the Pope greeted by three friars stationed at St. Mary Major: Fr. Angelo M. Gaeta, Fr. Tarcisio, and Fra Stanislaus. Fr. Tarcisio was ordained January 13: it’s been a good year for him so far.