Pope Closes ‘Year Of Rosary’ At Pompeii Shrine

By JOHN THAVIS, CNS

Published: October 9, 2003

POMPEII, Italy (CNS)—Closing a year dedicated to the rosary, Pope John Paul II came to a Marian sanctuary in Pompeii Oct. 7 and prayed for world peace with an estimated 30,000 pilgrims.

The pope joined in reciting the five “mysteries of light” which he added to the rosary last year. Then, in a halting voice, he read a speech calling for a new movement of prayer and peacemaking to help heal the “conflicts, tensions and tragedies of every continent.”

The pope said the rosary is an ideal prayer for peace, with its simplicity and its ability to “calm the spirit,” and is especially needed in a world “torn by winds of war and lined with blood in so many regions.”

The pope looked alert and content during the three-hour visit, and he managed to read almost all of his two-page talk, although he had to pause often between phrases. At the end, he asked people there to pray for him “today and always.”

The pope’s declining health in recent weeks has prompted many to suggest that the visit to Pompeii, his 143rd trip in Italy, might be his last inside or outside the country. He suffers from a neurological disease that has made it difficult for him to stand or walk.

Using a small mobile lift, he boarded a helicopter at the Vatican and landed an hour later at a helipad next to the archeological excavations that have made Pompeii famous.

As the sun broke through threatening skies, he rode in an open jeep to the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Holy Rosary in the center of the modern city, waving to well-wishers on a route decorated with flowers and strung with banners that read: “Your Holiness, welcome home.”

Seated on a platform on the steps of the sanctuary in front of a crowd that filled the square and surrounding streets, the pope slowly pulled out his own rosary and recited quietly as representatives from every continent lit oil lamps and led the prayer.

In his speech, the pope said he was convinced that by proclaiming a “year of the rosary” he had prompted a significant reawakening of the prayer. That in turn should encourage Christians to put their faith into action in their own societies, he said.

“Today, like in the times of ancient Pompeii, it is necessary to announce Christ to a society that is drifting away from Christian values,” he said.

The rosary, he said, is like a compendium of the Gospel. It reviews the life of Christ from the perspective of Mary. “And who more than she knows Christ and loves him?” he said.

Those who stood near the papal platform watched the 83-year-old pope closely, and some could not help but compare the frail figure, head slumped to his chest, with the energetic pontiff who visited them 24 years earlier. “You look at him and you think, poor pope. But his faith is still strong, and I think this is what allows him to keep going. That’s an inspiration to us,” said Giuseppe Giugliano.

He said the pope’s visit was important in ways that go beyond the crowds and the banners.

“I have seen it many times: When the pope travels, the people are stirred. Somehow, he finds a way to move people’s souls. That’s why it’s important for him to keep this up, as long as he can,” he said.

At the end of the ceremony, the pope thanked young people for their enthusiasm, prompting one of the biggest cheers of the day.

“Thank you everyone, and pray for me in this sanctuary today and always,” he said.