Pope Leo XIV, elected only three days ago on May 8, made his first external trip from the Vatican on Saturday in a milestone of his papacy. The new pontiff, once US Cardinal Robert Prevost, traveled to a Catholic shrine outside Genazzano, some one hour east of Rome, before going to Rome’s St. Mary Major Basilica to pay tribute to his late predecessor, Pope Francis.
When Pope Leo XIV arrived at the basilica, the assembled faithful cheered and sang out “Viva il Papa” in honor of the deceased. He moved towards Pope Francis humble grave, where he stopped to set a white flower down and kneel in prayer for a couple of moments in remembrance. The action made reference to continuity in the papacy and how much respect he held for the former pope who died on April 21.
Earlier during the day, Pope Leo XIV had gone to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Genazzano, a place of personal interest to him as an Augustinian. There, he met a few of the faithful, giving them blessings and prayers for direction in the early stages of his papacy.
Pope Francis, who was a great believer in Marian shrines, had selected St. Mary Major for burial. His grave, simply marked by his name in Latin, attracted more than 30,000 people in the days after his death.
Saturday’s journey is an echo of Pope Leo XIV’s modest start as head of the Catholic Church, highlighting both his link to the past and his dedication to the future of the Vatican.
