Pope Leo set to visit statue of Our Lady for Immaculate Conception solemnity

On the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Leo XIV will visit a beloved statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Piazza Mignanelli, near the Spanish Steps in Rome, following a tradition stretching back nearly 75 years.

Every Dec. 8, myriad Roman citizens and organizations, both religious and civic, come together to pray and offer flowers for Our Lady. Oftentimes, the reigning Pontiff joins in the festivities.

Last year, Pope Francis took part in the custom, praying at the feet of the statue and entrusting the upcoming Jubilee Year of Hope to her intercession. He told Mary that the Jubilee required the city to undertake many construction works.

“But your motherly gaze sees beyond,” Pope Francis prayed. “And it seems I can hear your voice wisely telling us: ‘My children, these works are fine, but be careful: do not forget the construction sites of the soul! The real Jubilee is within: within, within your hearts — you say — inside family and social relationships. It is within that you must work to prepare the way for the Lord who is coming.’”

Later this month, Pope Leo will pray before the same statue as the Jubilee Year draws to a close.

This year’s observation of the solemnity will begin at 7 a.m. when the fire brigade will climb to the top of the statue and place a wreath of flowers on the Blessed Virgin’s arm. According to Vatican News, Pope Leo will arrive at 4 p.m. He will be greeted by Cardinal Baldassare Reina, vicar general of the Diocese of Rome, and Roberto Gualtieri, the mayor of Rome. The Holy Father will then pray at the feet of the statue before leaving a wreath of flowers for Christ’s mother.

The day will also feature several other festivities, including outdoor hymns and a Mass for laborers in the nearby church Trinità dei Monti.

The statue of Our Lady was placed on a nearly 40-foot pillar in 1857 to commemorate Pope Pius IX declaring the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854, according to the Pontifical North American College, an American seminary in Rome. The papal tradition of offering flowers on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception began nearly a century later, in 1953, when Pope Pius XII visited the statue.