Pope Francis says the Rosary as "a sweet chain that reconnects us to God" - "within everyone's reach, can support the renewed evangelization to which the Church is called"
Pope Francis calls for rediscovering the Rosary's ability to evangelize the Church, in his letter commemorating 150 years since the painting of Our Lady of the Rosary arrived at the Italian Shrine of Pompeii. Pope Francis sent the message to Archbishop Tommaso Caputo of Pompeii, the papal delegate for the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary. The ecclesial community in Pompeii is preparing to celebrate a Jubilee Year with various pastoral initiatives, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the revered image, of Our Lady of the Rosary.
FULL TEXT MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS 
ON THE OCCASION OF THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARRIVAL
OF THE PAINTING OF THE VIRGIN OF THE ROSARY IN POMPEII
_________________________
To my dear Brother Mons. Tommaso Caputo
Archbishop Prelate of Pompeii
Pontifical Delegate for the Shrine of the B. Maria V. of the Holy Rosary
I learned with pleasure that the ecclesial community in Pompeii is preparing to celebrate a Jubilee Year with appropriate pastoral initiatives, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the venerated painting of the Virgin of the Rosary. I am happy to join spiritually with those who will celebrate this significant anniversary and will pause in prayerful recollection at the Pompeii Marian temple, to find comfort and hope in the sweetest face of the heavenly Mother.
When that painting arrived there, on November 13, 1875, only a few years had passed since the lawyer Bartolo Longo, Founder of the Sanctuary, rediscovered his faith, which he had lost during his university studies. A voice heard in the depths of his soul was like a flash in the night, taking him away from a bitter struggle, and making a saying linked to the devout tradition of the Rosary resonate with new strength in his heart: "If you seek salvation, propagate the Rosary". That motto, well known to him, now took on in his soul, as often happens in mystical experiences, the meaning of a promise and, in some way, of a mandate.
From that moment, in fact, he became an apostle of the Rosary and, with countless initiatives and writings, and above all with his "Fifteen Saturdays", he was one of the greatest interpreters of this Marian devotion, of which a long series of interventions by my Venerated Predecessors, especially from Leo XIII onwards, has deepened the meaning, up to the Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae of Saint John Paul II, who relaunched it at the dawn of the third millennium by proclaiming a Year of the Rosary.
It is providential that the jubilee of the painting of Our Lady of Pompeii coincides with the imminent Jubilee Year, centered on Jesus our hope, and with the seventeenth centenary of the Council of Nicea (325), which gave particular prominence to the divine-human mystery of Christ, in the light of the Trinity. It is beautiful to rediscover the Rosary, in this perspective, to assimilate the mysteries of the life of the Savior, contemplating them with the gaze of Mary. The Rosary, a simple instrument within everyone's reach, can support the renewed evangelization to which the Church is called today.
We are aware of how necessary it is to rediscover the beauty of the Rosary in families and homes. This prayer is helpful in building peace and it is important to propose it to young people so that they feel it is not repetitive and monotonous, but an act of love that never tires of pouring out. The Rosary is also a source of consolation for the sick and the suffering, "a sweet chain that reconnects us to God", but also a chain of love that becomes an embrace for the least and the marginalized, such as, in the eyes of Bartolo Longo, especially orphans and the children of prisoners. Therefore, I encourage you to continue with renewed commitment, through the many initiatives of the Sanctuary, the great history of charity that He began: it is the most beautiful spiritual legacy that the Blessed Founder left.
May the Lord still speak today to humanity in need of finding the path of harmony and brotherhood through the message of Our Lady of Pompeii. I hope that her many devotees spread throughout the world will adhere ever more faithfully to the Lord, testifying closeness to their brothers, especially those most in need.
With these wishes, in remembering with gratitude the manifestations of faith experienced in this Marian oasis on 21 March 2015 on the occasion of my pilgrimage, I invoke every grace for the land of Campania, especially for those experiencing situations of hardship, while I cordially send my Blessing to you, dear Brother, and to those who will take part in the evocative manifestations.
Fraternally
FRANCIS
Rome, Saint John Lateran, 7 October 2024
Memory of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary
OF THE PAINTING OF THE VIRGIN OF THE ROSARY IN POMPEII
_________________________
To my dear Brother Mons. Tommaso Caputo
Archbishop Prelate of Pompeii
Pontifical Delegate for the Shrine of the B. Maria V. of the Holy Rosary
I learned with pleasure that the ecclesial community in Pompeii is preparing to celebrate a Jubilee Year with appropriate pastoral initiatives, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the venerated painting of the Virgin of the Rosary. I am happy to join spiritually with those who will celebrate this significant anniversary and will pause in prayerful recollection at the Pompeii Marian temple, to find comfort and hope in the sweetest face of the heavenly Mother.
When that painting arrived there, on November 13, 1875, only a few years had passed since the lawyer Bartolo Longo, Founder of the Sanctuary, rediscovered his faith, which he had lost during his university studies. A voice heard in the depths of his soul was like a flash in the night, taking him away from a bitter struggle, and making a saying linked to the devout tradition of the Rosary resonate with new strength in his heart: "If you seek salvation, propagate the Rosary". That motto, well known to him, now took on in his soul, as often happens in mystical experiences, the meaning of a promise and, in some way, of a mandate.
From that moment, in fact, he became an apostle of the Rosary and, with countless initiatives and writings, and above all with his "Fifteen Saturdays", he was one of the greatest interpreters of this Marian devotion, of which a long series of interventions by my Venerated Predecessors, especially from Leo XIII onwards, has deepened the meaning, up to the Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae of Saint John Paul II, who relaunched it at the dawn of the third millennium by proclaiming a Year of the Rosary.
It is providential that the jubilee of the painting of Our Lady of Pompeii coincides with the imminent Jubilee Year, centered on Jesus our hope, and with the seventeenth centenary of the Council of Nicea (325), which gave particular prominence to the divine-human mystery of Christ, in the light of the Trinity. It is beautiful to rediscover the Rosary, in this perspective, to assimilate the mysteries of the life of the Savior, contemplating them with the gaze of Mary. The Rosary, a simple instrument within everyone's reach, can support the renewed evangelization to which the Church is called today.
We are aware of how necessary it is to rediscover the beauty of the Rosary in families and homes. This prayer is helpful in building peace and it is important to propose it to young people so that they feel it is not repetitive and monotonous, but an act of love that never tires of pouring out. The Rosary is also a source of consolation for the sick and the suffering, "a sweet chain that reconnects us to God", but also a chain of love that becomes an embrace for the least and the marginalized, such as, in the eyes of Bartolo Longo, especially orphans and the children of prisoners. Therefore, I encourage you to continue with renewed commitment, through the many initiatives of the Sanctuary, the great history of charity that He began: it is the most beautiful spiritual legacy that the Blessed Founder left.
May the Lord still speak today to humanity in need of finding the path of harmony and brotherhood through the message of Our Lady of Pompeii. I hope that her many devotees spread throughout the world will adhere ever more faithfully to the Lord, testifying closeness to their brothers, especially those most in need.
With these wishes, in remembering with gratitude the manifestations of faith experienced in this Marian oasis on 21 March 2015 on the occasion of my pilgrimage, I invoke every grace for the land of Campania, especially for those experiencing situations of hardship, while I cordially send my Blessing to you, dear Brother, and to those who will take part in the evocative manifestations.
Fraternally
FRANCIS
Rome, Saint John Lateran, 7 October 2024
Memory of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary
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