Pope, in homily at Pompeii, lauds the Hail Mary and the Rosary

May 08, 2026

Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass this morning outside the Pontifical Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii (video), after greeting disabled persons and venerating the relics of the shrine’s founder, St. Bartolo Longo (video).

The Pontiff also led the faithful in reciting the Supplica, the Supplication to the Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii, recited solemnly at the shrine every year on May 8 and on the first Sunday of October.

“Exactly one year ago, when I was entrusted with the ministry of the Successor of Peter, it was precisely the day of the Supplication to the Virgin,” Pope Leo recalled in his homily. “I had to come here, therefore, to place my service under the protection of the Blessed Virgin.”

“The fact that I then chose the name Leo puts me in the footsteps of Leo XIII, who had, among other merits, that of having developed a broad Magisterium on the Holy Rosary,” the Pope continued. “Added to all this is the recent canonization of St. Bartolo Longo, apostle of the Rosary.”

Pope Leo then paid tribute to the Hail Mary and the Rosary:

The Hail Mary is an invitation to joy: it tells Mary, and in her to all of us, that on the rubble of our humanity tried by sin and therefore always inclined to prevarications, oppression and wars, came the caress of God, the caress of mercy, which takes on a human face in Jesus. Mary thus becomes the Mother of mercy. Disciple of the Word and instrument of his Incarnation, she truly reveals herself to be “full of grace.” Everything in her is grace! ...

Everything happens in the power of the Holy Spirit, who overshadows Mary and makes her virginal womb fruitful. This moment in history has a sweetness and power that attract the heart and bring it to that contemplative height in which the prayer of the Holy Rosary sprouts. A prayer which, having arisen and developed progressively in the second millennium, has its roots in the history of salvation, and it is precisely in the Angel’s Greeting to the Virgin that it has as its prelude.

“Hail Mary!” The repetition of this prayer in the Rosary is like the echo of Gabriel’s greeting, an echo that spans the centuries and guides the believer’s gaze to Jesus, seen with the eyes and heart of the Mother. Jesus adored, contemplated, assimilated in each of his mysteries, so that with Saint Paul we can say: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:19). Preceded by the proclamation of the Word of God, set between the Our Father and the Glory Be, the Hail Mary that is repeated in the Holy Rosary is an act of love.

“From this Shrine, whose façade St. Bartolo Longo conceived as a monument to peace, today we raise our Supplication with faith,” Pope Leo added. “Jesus told us that all things can be achieved by prayer made in faith (cf. Mt 21:22). And St. Bartholo Longo, thinking of Mary’s faith, defines her as ‘omnipotent by grace.’ Through her intercession, may there come from the God of peace an outpouring of mercy that touches hearts, appeases resentment and fratricidal hatred, and enlightens those who have special responsibilities of government.”

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Coverage of Pope Leo’s pastoral visit to Pompeii and Naples:

• Pope Leo: The Rosary is the ‘hidden engine that makes everything else possible’ in Pompeii
• Pope, in homily at Pompeii, lauds the Hail Mary and the Rosary
• Addressing priests in Naples, Pope emphasizes prayer, fraternity
• Pope challenges citizens of Naples to build an alternative culture to violence

 

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Further information:

• Pastoral Visit to Pompeii: Meeting with some ill and disabled people (Dicastery for Communication - Vatican Media, 5/8/26)
• Pastoral Visit of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV to Pompeii and Naples: Holy Mass and Supplication to Our Lady of Pompeii (Dicastery for Communication - Vatican Media, 5/8/26)