For the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the pontiff venerated a statue of the Virgin Mary located in Rome’s Piazza di Spagna, reciting a prayer he wrote for the occasion.
December 8 is a national holiday in Italy and a religious feast day honouring Mary for the Catholic church.
The annual ceremony takes place near Rome’s Spanish Steps.
Tourists and locals flocked to see the pontiff on Sunday, including Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi.
The statue of the Immaculate Conception in Piazza di Spagna sits atop a nearly 40-foot-high column.
It was dedicated December 8, 1857, just a few years after the Catholic Church proclaimed the doctrine of Mary’s Immaculate Conception.
Since the 1950s, it has been a custom for popes to venerate the statue for the feast day.
The statue is adorned with flower wreaths hung around Mary’s outstretched arms and laid at the base of the statue.
