Pray the Virgin Mary to give us the gift of tears

On May 25, 2018, Pope Francis celebrated mass in the presence of the reliquary of Our Lady of Tears of Syracuse (Madonna delle Lacrime di Siracusa), in the chapel of Saint Martha’s House.

Today, "the tears of the Virgin" of Syracuse "are here," Pope Francis said: "Let us pray the Blessed Virgin to give us, as well as Humanity who needs it, the gift of tears, that we may cry—for our sins and for the many calamities that make the people of God and the children of God suffer."

After the celebration at Saint Martha’s, the reliquary of Our Lady of Tears, entrusted to the rector of the shrine, will continue its pilgrimage to Italian cities—the next stop is Livorno (Tuscany).

The image of Our Lady of Tears is preserved in the shrine of Syracuse, in Sicily. It represents the Immaculate Heart of Mary and has been the object of many weepings, the first of which occurred between August 29th and the September 1, 1953.

Marina Droujinina

Zenit