This Act of Veneration to the Immaculate Conception was offered by Pope Francis as Bishop of Rome in homage to Mary and on behalf of the people of the city.
Act of Veneration to the Immaculate Conception: Prayer of Pope Francis
We thank you for the constant care with which you accompany our journey: the journey of families, parishes, and religious communities; of those who cross Rome each day, sometimes wearily, on their way to work; of the sick, the elderly, and the poor; and of the many people who have come here from lands marked by war and hunger.
Thank you because whenever we turn a thought or glance toward you, or offer even a brief Hail Mary, we sense your presence, both tender and strong.
O Mother, help this city develop the "antibodies" needed against the viruses of our time: indifference that says, "It does not concern me"; poor civic behavior that despises the common good; and fear of those who are different or foreign.
Protect us from conformity disguised as rebellion, from the hypocrisy of accusing others while doing the same things, from resignation in the face of environmental and ethical decline, and from the exploitation of so many women and men.
Help us reject these and other viruses with the antibodies that come from the Gospel.
Teach us the good habit of reading a passage from the Gospel each day and, following your example, keeping the Word in our hearts so that it may bear fruit in our lives like good seed.
Immaculate Virgin, 175 years ago, not far from here in the Church of Sant'Andrea delle Fratte, you touched the heart of Alphonse Ratisbonne, who passed from atheism and hostility toward the Church to Christian faith.
You appeared to him as a Mother of grace and mercy. Grant that we too, especially in trials and temptations, may look upon your open hands as they pour the Lord's graces upon the earth. Strip us of all pride so that we may recognize ourselves as we truly are: small and poor sinners, yet always your children.
Place our hands in yours and lead us back to Jesus, our brother and Savior, and to the heavenly Father, who never tires of waiting for us or forgiving us when we return to him.
Thank you, O Mother, because you always hear us. Bless the Church in Rome, bless this city, and bless the whole world.
Amen.