Virgin Mary especially present during pope’s travels to Chile and Peru

Pope Francis’ visit to Chile and Peru placed the Blessed Virgin Mary on center stage. During his visit he crowned two statues of Mary, venerate a third, and took part in a Marian prayer service.

In Chile, Pope Francis crowned a statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel — the patroness of Chile — during a Mass at Santiago’s O’Higgins Park.

Also in Chile, Pope Francis met with young people at the Shrine of Maipu – the national Marian shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The shrine was originally erected in 1818 by O’Higgins. He had promised Our Lady he would erect a shrine in her honor if Chilean troops won independence from Spain.

In Peru the pope’s first Mass in Trujillo was in honor of “Holy Mary, Door of Heaven.” While he did not crown any statues here, the opening and closing prayers were focused on Our Lady.

Later that same day he led a Marian celebration during which he venerated Our Lady and a special litany was sung in her honor. The litany was composed by Turibius of Mogrovejo, who was archbishop of Lima from 1579 to 1606.

Adapted from Aleteia January 16, 2018