Pope Leo celebrated Holy Mass. The Mass was held on the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The event is related to the liturgical calendar.
3 days ago
Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on December 12, 2025, for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.1 2
This marked his first such liturgy as pope, though as Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, he had been the main celebrant in 2023 and 2024.2
Delivered in Spanish, the homily portrayed Mary as the "mother of love" who brings joy where human joy is lacking.1
She awakens in America's inhabitants the joy of being loved by God, echoing her words to St. Juan Diego: "Am I not here, I who am your mother?"1 2
Mary sustains amid conflicts, injustices, and sufferings, urging followers to "do whatever [Jesus] tells us."1 2
Pope Leo prayed for Mary to teach nations to reject division, hatred, lies, and domination by leaders.1 2
He sought protection for human dignity at all life stages and creation of welcoming spaces for all.2
Mary was invoked to guide youth against crime, addiction, and meaninglessness, strengthening their faith.1 2
Prayers called for her to seek the lapsed, foster Church unity, and bolster families as schools of faith.1 2
The Pope asked Mary to support his role as St. Peter's successor, confirming the faithful in unity with Christ.1 2
He concluded entrusting all to advance toward eternal life under her protection.1 2
Explore the Pope’s role in promoting Marian devotion for social unity
Throughout Catholic history, popes have consistently elevated Marian devotion as a powerful instrument for fostering social unity, portraying the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Mother who unites nations, peoples, and Christians in peace, fraternity, and harmony. From invocations of the Rosary to celebrations of apparitions like Our Lady of Guadalupe, papal teaching emphasizes Mary's role in bridging divisions, promoting justice, and guiding societies toward the common good, drawing on her motherhood to heal social fractures and inspire collective fidelity to God's will. This devotion, urged through public prayers and liturgical emphasis, counters indifference, exclusion, and conflict, positioning Mary as a beacon for ecclesial, national, and global solidarity.
Pope Leo XIII stands as a foundational figure in harnessing Marian devotion, particularly the Rosary, to promote social unity amid 19th-century upheavals. In encyclicals like Supremi Apostolatus Officio, Octobri Mense, and Adiutricem, he called upon Christian nations to unite in Rosary prayers, viewing Mary as the "Mother of Unity and Concord" who fosters "brotherly affection" and gathers hearts in "perfect charity." He envisioned multitudes across cities, towns, and seas praising Mary "with one voice and heart," imploring her to restore Church liberty, public safety, and peace, while drawing erring nations back to Christian precepts. This devotion was not private but public, a "badge of Christian piety" to avert dangers to Christendom and civil society, emphasizing Mary's intercession for virtue, repentance, and societal restoration. Leo XIII's exhortations aimed at a unified profession of faith, countering division by invoking Mary's spiritual motherhood, which engenders unity "in one faith and one love."
Building on this tradition, 20th-century popes integrated Marian devotion into efforts for broader social cohesion. Pope Pius XII proclaimed a Marian Year, urging the faithful to throng sanctuaries for "public supplications with one voice and one mind," reinforcing communal bonds through shared veneration. Pope Paul VI, in Marialis Cultus, highlighted the "ecclesial character" of Marian devotion, aligning it with the ecumenical movement by uniting Catholics with Orthodox, Anglicans, and others in praising Mary as "Hope of Christians." He saw her as a "rallying point for the union of all who believe in Christ," smoothing paths to full communion and countering exaggerations that might hinder unity. Pope John Paul II echoed this, entrusting Christian unity to Mary, the "Mother of unity," whose presence fosters "oneness of heart" as in the early Church, interceding for reconciliation among believers and all peoples.
The feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe exemplifies papal promotion of Marian devotion for continental social unity. Pope John Paul II, during pastoral visits to Mexico, entrusted the Church, youth, unborn life, indigenous peoples, African Americans, workers, and the poor to her, invoking her mestizo image to unite diverse groups under evangelization's star. He proclaimed her Patroness of the Americas, urging fidelity to life's sacred gift and social progress. Pope Benedict XVI celebrated her as the fruit-yielding earth, calling Latin American nations to praise God together amid independence bicentenaries, acknowledging faith's gifts for unity beyond historical divides. Pope Francis portrayed her apparition as a maternal "visitation" embracing new peoples, fostering a "continent of hope" with models linking justice, reconciliation, and development. He depicted Mary fighting for fraternity against distrust and apathy, embodying the Gospel to create bonds and say "yes" to life, no to exclusion.
Pope Leo XIV continues this legacy, addressing the International Marian Academy on Mary's prophetic role for a synodal Church. He presents her as a "jubilant" and "synodal" woman, listening to the Word and engaging the Holy Spirit to unite the divided, preserving faith's hierarchy of truths and integrating mind, heart, person, and community. Marian pietas, he teaches, frees from fatalism and fundamentalism, dignifying the marginalized and cultivating unity from the Trinity, bearing witness to faith's beauty and hope's prophecy. This devotion prompts the Church to "start afresh" with God and neighbor, walking paths of peace amid propaganda and division.
In summary, popes from Leo XIII to Leo XIV have wielded Marian devotion as a divine strategy for social unity, invoking Mary's motherhood to heal divisions, promote peace, and unite diverse peoples in faith and charity. Through Rosary campaigns, Guadalupe celebrations, and ecumenical appeals, they call the faithful to public veneration, ensuring her intercession guides societies toward harmony under Christ's kingship.