Leo XIV: Mary’s Simple Presence — and Her Son Within Her — Moves All of History
The rector of the shrine spoke plainly to Pope Leo XIV as the pontiff prepared to celebrate Mass. He thanked the visitor for coming and said their affection for him was true and genuine because they all loved him immensely. Pope Leo XIV arrived at the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Genazzano shortly after 5 p.m. on September 7, 2026. Thousands lined the road to welcome him. The streets of the town, about 30 miles east of Rome, were filled with people. Not everyone could fit inside the church for the celebration of the Nativity of Mary. The pope chose the shrine for this feast because it holds a special place in his heart. He brought a Golden Rose to place at the feet of the image of Mary. In the guest book he recalled how the maternal presence of Our Lady of Good Counsel had accompanied him throughout his life with her wisdom and with the example of her love for her Son. During the Mass the pope read from the Augustinian St. Thomas of Villanova. The saint wondered why the Evangelists had not recorded more details about Mary’s conception, birth, upbringing, habits, virtues, and her daily life with her Son and later with the apostles. Those details, the saint said, would have brought singular devotion to the faithful. Pope Leo XIV drew from that passage to speak about Mary’s presence. He noted that it creates a kind of leap in the genealogy, an unexpected newness that changes expectations and behavior. What Joseph hears and decides is a response to God and to Mary’s presence, he said, and in Mary salvation finds a home. The pope spoke of the simpler and quieter way God works, yet one that remains powerful. He described the humble circumstances of Jesus’ birth as showing the originality of his Kingdom, where arrogance has no place and omnipotence appears as creation, service, and care for life. He turned to the value of contemplative prayer, in which what the world does not tell us takes shape and what is still invisible gains a new strength. This is prophecy, he said, needed in times of destruction and uncertainty to see God’s work and serve it. The pope ended by calling for peace to grow within those present so that it might blossom in the world. The Mother of Good Counsel would accompany them, he said. The final hymn asked the Virgin of Genazzano to stretch out her hand to her children, strengthen the just, and save the sinner. The pope also noted a fresco that showed him at prayer from his earlier visit on May 10, 2025.