Ahead to his weeklong trip to Canada, Pope Francis paid a visit to a basilica in Rome on Friday to seek the Virgin Mary’s protection and intercession.
On the morning of July 22, the pope prayed in front of the Marian icon of Salus Populi Romani at Santa Maria Maggiore.
The pope was pictured in a wheelchair next to the venerated statue of Mary, Protection of the Roman People, which has long been a fixture in the Eternal City, in a picture issued by the Vatican.
According to the Holy See news office, the pope visited the basilica to ask the Virgin Mary for guidance on his impending journey to Canada.
From July 24 to July 29, the pope is set to visit Edmonton, Quebec City, and Iqaluit in Canada.
He will meet Catholics, survivors of abuse at residential schools, and representatives of Canada’s indigenous groups there.
In Canada, Pope Francis is anticipated to apologise on behalf of the Catholic Church for the mistreatment of native students in Catholic-run residential schools.
At the end of March and the beginning of April, the pope met with representatives of the Métis, Inuit, and First Nations peoples at the Vatican and expressed regret for the harm they had endured.
According to him, his visit to Canada will be a “penitential pilgrimage” to promote healing and harmony.
On July 28, Pope Francis will also pay a visit to the Notre-Dame de Québec Cathedral-Basilica. The first parish church in Canada was the minor basilica, which was established and consecrated to the Virgin Mary in 1647.
Prior to his worldwide travels, Pope Francis has made it a tradition to visit the icon and ask the protection of the Virgin Mary. He frequently pays a visit to the icon after leaving the Vatican and before arriving back in Rome.