Amid Pope Francis’s hospitalisation in Rome, a global outpouring of prayer has converged on St. Peter’s Square and the Gemelli clinic where he is receiving care.
Thousands of faithful have gathered, praying the rosary, a centuries-old devotion central to Catholic practice.
Dating back to the Middle Ages and gaining widespread popularity in the 16th century, the rosary’s beaded chain is an instantly recognisable symbol of Christianity.
From the hands of the young and old to the belts of monks and the rearview mirrors of cars, the rosary takes many forms, crafted from materials ranging from precious stones and Holy Land olive wood to simple plastic.
Repetitive prayer is a common thread across many faiths. For Catholics, the rosary involves reciting the “Our Father” once and the “Hail Mary” 10 times, repeated five times over.
Each “decade” of prayers begins with a brief meditation on key events in the lives of Jesus and Mary, categorised as “mysteries”.
These mysteries vary by day, encompassing themes from Mary’s assumption into heaven (“glorious”) to Jesus’s crucifixion (“sorrowful”).
“Mary is the mediator between God and humankind,” explains the Reverend Enzo Fortunato, a Franciscan leading the Vatican’s World Children’s Day committee.
“We turn to Mary as children, with the certainty that she listens to us like a mother.”
This prayer, offered for Pope Francis’s recovery, can be a solitary practice or a communal act, performed at home, in churches, or on pilgrimages.
The Basilica in Lourdes, France, a prominent European pilgrimage destination, is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, further cementing the image of Mary holding the rosary.
It’s long been a tradition in many countries to pray the rosary for the ill. When the group rosaries in St. Peter’s Square started the night of February 24, many were reminded of the vigils held when St. John Paul II was hospitalised at the end of his papacy in 2005.
“It’s a simple prayer, that doesn’t require special knowledge or preparation,” said Fermín Labarga, professor of church history at the University of Navarra in Spain.
“It teaches us to pray like Mary, always contemplating Christ.”
