In the event that took place this Saturday, January 31, in the Passeggiata Pio XII, within the Vatican Gardens, Leo XIV recalled that holiness is not an ideal reserved for a few, but a universal vocation directed to all the faithful. During the blessing of a mosaic dedicated to the Virgin Mary and an image of Saint Rose of Lima in the Vatican Gardens, he emphasized that “that is the will of God: our own sanctification.” The ceremony also served to highlight the historical, spiritual, and pastoral ties between Peru and the Holy See, a country to which the Pontiff explicitly referred as “so dear” to him.
In his address, delivered in Spanish, Leo XIV explained that the two figures blessed—the Virgin Mary and Saint Rose of Lima—refer directly to the core of the Christian faith: the call to holiness. Drawing on the dogmatic constitution Lumen gentium of the Second Vatican Council, he recalled that all the baptized, “of whatever state or condition,” are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity.
The Pope insisted that this vocation must be lived in the concrete circumstances of the current world, encouraging the faithful to be “witnesses and examples of that holiness in today’s world.” He entrusted this common path of the People of God to the intercession of the Virgin Mary and all the saints.
The figure of Saint Rose of Lima, canonized in 1671 by Pope Clement X, was evoked as the first saint of Latin America and patroness of Peru. Her presence in the Vatican Gardens, in front of the Marian mosaic, sought to underscore the spiritual fruitfulness of faith lived with simplicity and fidelity.
During the ceremony, Leo XIV thanked the artists and institutions that made possible the creation and donation of the works, including the Don Bosco Artisans Family and the Peruvian Episcopal Conference. The mosaic of the Virgin Mary was created by a team of young Andean artists led by Lenin Álvarez, while the image of Saint Rose of Lima is the work of the Peruvian sculptor Edwin Morales.
Finally, the Pontiff greeted the members of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference present in Rome on the occasion of the ad limina Apostolorum visit, the Ambassador of Peru to the Holy See, Jorge Fernando Ponce San Román, and Sister Raffaella Petrini, president of the Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City. He also extended a special greeting to the Salesian family, gathered that day for the liturgical feast of Saint John Bosco.
Below, we leave the complete words of Leo XIV:
Dear brothers and sisters:
Today we are gathered for a joyful event: the inauguration of a mosaic dedicated to the Most Holy Virgin Mary and an image of Saint Rose of Lima here in the Vatican Gardens. This gesture renews the deep bonds of faith and friendship that unite Peru—as you know, a country so dear to me—with the Holy See.
I cordially greet all those present, especially the members of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference, as well as the Most Excellent Ambassador of Peru to the Holy See and the President of the Governorship of Vatican City.
Gathered in this beautiful place, where everything speaks to us of the Creator and the beauty of creation, I wish first of all to thank the artists who have created these works and those who have made it possible for us to enjoy this pleasant event today. And to the entire Salesian family, right on this day the feast of Saint John Bosco, we are gathered here, and we congratulate them all.
The two figures evoked, our heavenly Mother and the first Latin American saint, Saint Rose of Lima, refer us to the theme of holiness. In this regard, let us recall what the Second Vatican Council says: “It is therefore abundantly clear that all the faithful, of whatever state or condition, are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity […]. In achieving this perfection, the faithful should use the strength received according to the measure of Christ’s gift, so that, following in his footsteps and conformed to his image, obeying the Father’s will in everything, they may devote themselves entirely to the glory of God and the service of their neighbor. Thus, the holiness of the People of God will produce abundant fruits, as the history of the Church brilliantly demonstrates with the lives of so many saints” (Dogm. Const. Lumen gentium, 40).
We can also speak of the abundance of the Lord’s blessing, with this holy water that is falling on you this afternoon.
Dear friends, these beautiful images that we contemplate today remind us of the greatness of the vocation to which God calls us, that is, the universal vocation to holiness. I encourage you to be, with God’s grace, witnesses and examples of that holiness in today’s world. Because that is the will of God: our own sanctification (cf. 1 Th 4:3; Eph 1:4). May the Virgin Mary and all the saints intercede for us on our journey toward the heavenly homeland. With gratitude, I bless you from my heart.