Pope to Bless Restored Statue of Our Lady
The Vatican press office announced today that the Pope will bless the statue of the Virgin on June 24, in what will be a short, half-day pilgrimage.
The image, which is made of gilded copper and looks out over the city of Rome, fell from its 62-foot pedestal in a storm last October. It has been recently restored and replaced.
Benedict XVI's visit to Monte Mario also coincides with the Feast of the Pope that the Sons of Divine Providence, following a tradition of their founder, St. Luigi Orione, promote all over the world.
The Pope will also visit the cloistered nuns of the Dominican convent of Santa Maria del Rosario in Monte Mario, where the seventh-century icon known as Our Lady of St. Luke is kept.