Pope Francis Marks The Solemnity Of The Immaculate Conception

ROME, ITALY - DECEMBER 08: Pope Francis marks the Feast of the Immaculate Conception with the traditional Act of Veneration to the Blessed Virgin Mary before the statue of the Immaculate Conception in Piazza Mignanelli, adjacent to Rome’s central Piazza di Spagna on December 08, 2023 in Rome, Italy. The Pope turned his thoughts to the many mothers who, as Mary did, are grieving for the loss of their children killed by war and terrorism, or who see them leave for desperate journeys of hope, or trying to save them from addictions, and those who watch over them in a long and hard illness. Finally, Pope Francis entrusted to Mary’s protection all the women victims of violence. (Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images)