Italy consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary against Covid-19

By decision of the Italian Bishops' Conference, Italy was consecrated to the Blessed Virgin on May 1, 2020, the feast of St Joseph the Worker. The consecration ceremony took place in the evening at 9 p.m. in the Basilica of Santa Maria del Fonte presso Caravaggio, a large church located east of Milan, in the province of Bergamo, one of the most affected by the Covid-19 epidemic.

Archbishop Gualtiero Bassetti, President of the Italian Episcopate, said, "I have received more than 300 letters, full of love and devotion to the Virgin Mary, asking: Why don't you consecrate our nation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, especially all who are suffering because of this epidemic, all those who work in hospitals and all caregivers?"

In response to the request of the faithful, the bishops decided to entrust the Italian nation to the Blessed Virgin "to protect and save it from the coronavirus pandemic." The place and date were "very symbolic," the CEI explained. The month of May is traditionally dedicated to Our Lady, and beginning that month with such a consecration, "in the present situation, has very poignant meaning for all Italy." The Shrine of Caravaggio alone represents "the suffering and pain experienced in a land sorely tried by the health emergency... The Church entrusts to Our Lady all the sick, health workers and doctors, families, and the deceased," he explained, and in memory of St Joseph, "the workers" are entrusted to her in particular, in view of "the concerns and fears so many have regarding the future." 

Adapted from: Adelaide Patrignani Vatican News