By Benedetta Capelli & Eugenio Bonanata
An atmosphere of joyful anticipation filled Genazzano, the medieval Italian town located around 40 kilometres from Rome, as it awaited the arrival of Pope Leo XIV.
At 6:00 pm on Monday, the Pope celebrates Mass at the Basilica on the eve of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
He made a private visit to Genazzano on May 10 2025, two days after his election as Bishop of Rome.
His visit is an expression of his devotion to Our Lady, who—as he wrote in the shrine’s guestbook while entrusting his Magisterium to her—has accompanied him throughout his life “with her maternal presence, her wisdom and the example of her love for her Son, who is always the centre of my faith. The way, the truth and the life.”
The unveiling of a painting
Pope Leo is expected to arrive in the Piazzale della Pace at 4:30 pm and then travels to the shrine in the popemobile, blessing the faithful along the route.
Upon arriving, the Pope will be welcomed by the authorities, the Augustinian community, and Bishop Mauro Parmeggiani of the Dioceses of Tivoli and Palestrina.
At 5:30 pm, a painting by Marco Innocenzi, a former restorer at the Vatican Museums’ Laboratory for the Restoration of Paintings and Wooden Materials, will be unveiled.
It depicts Pope Leo in profile, kneeling at a prie-dieu and gazing towards the icon of Our Lady.
The painting is housed in the chapel containing portraits of the Popes who have visited Genazzano in the past.
They include Urban VIII, who in 1630 entrusted plague-stricken Italy to the Virgin; Blessed Pius IX, who made a pilgrimage to Genazzano on Aug 15 1864 and was deeply devoted to the Mother of Good Counsel; John XXIII, whose portrait was painted following his visit on Aug 25 1959; and Saint John Paul II, shown praying before the sacred image during his pilgrimage on Apr 22 1993, on the eve of his Apostolic Journey to Albania.
The connection with Albania
Archbishop Giovanni Peragine of Shkodër-Pult also travels from Albania to concelebrate Mass with the Pope.
According to tradition, the image of the Mother of Good Counsel preserved in the shrine at Genazzano was carried by angels from the Albanian city of Shkodër and appeared miraculously on Apr 25 1467.
The image was later recognized by two Albanian pilgrims. To this day, Genazzano celebrates the “Coming” of the sacred image on Apr 25 each year, while Albanian Catholics invoke the Mother of Good Counsel under the ancient title “Lady of Albania.”
Other concelebrants will include Fr Joseph Farrell, Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine; Fr. Gabriele Pedicino, Prior of the Augustinian Province of Italy; Fr Pasquale Di Lernia, Procurator General of the Order of Saint Augustine; and Fr Rocco Ronzani, Prefect of the Vatican Apostolic Archive and a native of Genazzano.
The Augustinian friars of the local community and the shrine’s rector, Fr Ludovico Centra, will also concelebrate.
The Pope will wear an alb, chasuble and mitre donated by the faithful of Genazzano.
Their embroidery evokes water and thus the Wedding at Cana, the first miracle of Jesus, performed in the presence of Mary. The chasuble and mitre will subsequently remain in the museum of the Genazzano shrine.
The Golden Rose
An important moment in the celebration will be the presentation of a Golden Rose with three branches to the Mother of Good Counsel.
Its base bears the coats of arms of the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel; Martin V, the first Pope to present the shrine with a Golden Rose in 1431, which was later lost during the Napoleonic era; Leo XIII, who elevated the Genazzano shrine to the rank of a basilica; and Leo XIV.
The Pope will receive an ex ossibus relic of Blessed Stefano Bellesini, an Augustinian and former parish priest of the shrine, whose mortal remains are venerated in the Basilica of Genazzano.
Bishop of Tivoli: ‘A great gift’
Bishop Mauro Parmeggiani, Bishop of the Dioceses of Tivoli and Palestrina, describes the atmosphere in Genazzano ahead of the Pope’s visit as “a great celebration, a family celebration.”
Speaking to Vatican News, he highlighted the “great gift” the town has received through the presence of the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel, before whom “one cannot remain indifferent.”
“The Pope’s visit,” he said, “encourages us once again to respond to the gift of having a Mother who points to Christ as the path to follow and the destination to be reached, despite our imperfections and difficulties.”
The Bishop hopes that the community will respond with “a strong faith,” feeling ever more closely united “with the Holy Father and the Church of Rome,” and becoming “promoters of active pastoral ministry, capable of fostering unity and peace while respecting our brothers and sisters and creation.”
Rector of the shrine: ‘Entrust ourselves to Mary’
Fr Ludovico Centra, Rector of the Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel, recalled the Pope’s love for the Virgin Mary dating back to his years in Chicago.
He said Pope Leo will invite everyone to entrust themselves “to Mary, this splendid dawn that heralds the day, who is Jesus.”
“This is essential,” he said. “I always tell pilgrims when they come: she is the Mother of Good Counsel—that is, she is the Mother of Jesus, who is God’s good counsel.”
“Mary still has this task, just as she did at Cana,” he concluded. “I believe that the Pope holds this in his heart and will surely entrust us to Mary, precisely so that we may continue to listen to her and do the will of her Son.” – Vatican News
