Pope Leo XIV starred this Monday in one of the most moving moments of his visit to Madrid when he went to the Cathedral of Santa María la Real de la Almudena to pray before the patroness of the capital and offer her a golden rose, one of the highest distinctions a Pontiff can grant to a Marian devotion.
Before the image of the Virgin, the Holy Father carefully placed the rose at her feet as a sign of filial love and devotion, during a ceremony full of symbolism that brought together the Archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal José Cobo, seminarians, religious and ecclesiastical authorities.
A Golden Rose for the Patroness of Madrid
The presentation of the golden rose was the central gesture of the papal visit to the Almudena. This distinction, traditionally reserved by Popes for Marian shrines of special relevance, expresses a singular recognition of the devotion of the faithful and the spiritual importance of the devotion.
The tribute took place in the Almudena Cathedral, consecrated by Saint John Paul II on June 15, 1993, more than a century after the laying of its first stone.
The History of a Virgin Found Within the Walls
During his address, Leo XIV recalled the tradition linked to the Virgin of the Almudena, whose origin dates back to the reconquest of Madrid by Alfonso VI in 1085.
According to tradition, centuries earlier Christians had hidden the image of the Virgin in a section of the wall to protect it during Muslim rule. When the king organized a procession to recover it, part of the wall collapsed and the image appeared among the rubble accompanied by two candles that miraculously remained lit after more than three centuries.
The very word Almudena comes from the Arabic term al-mudayna, meaning fortress or citadel, a reference the Pontiff used to develop one of the central ideas of his message.
Words of Leo XIV at the Cathedral of Santa María la Real de la Almudena:
I thank His Eminence, the Archbishop of Madrid, for the words he has addressed to me. I greet all of you with affection, brothers and sisters who, with joy and fervor, join today in the homage to Our Lady of the Almudena, Mother and Protectress of this Archdiocese, during which I will place at her feet the golden rose, a symbol of the Pope’s filial love for the Virgin Mary.
Numerous generations of Madrid residents have, over the centuries, venerated this image of Holy Mary who carries her divine Son in her arms and presents Him to us. Tradition tells that, in difficult times for the Christian community, to protect the statue of the Virgin, they hid it in an enclosure of the wall of the Citadel, where it remained concealed for a long time, until, after the miraculous collapse of part of the walls, it was found intact.
This ancient Marian devotion, so deeply felt by all of you, is a sign of the Christian roots that characterize and give you life, but also of the great hope that continues to encourage you to move forward. It was thanks to a demolished wall that the reunion of the Mother with her people took place. And this event is providential, because it points to the path that Jesus, through His Most Holy Mother, invites us to follow. At first, a falling wall causes noise, chaos, disorder; but it also opens spaces, restores possibilities and drives restorations. In our present societies there are still many walls that do not protect, but divide, distance and isolate. And sometimes, thinking that tearing them down means having to face what we do not like, we prefer the comfort of merely propping them up and, more often, of ignoring them.
However, Our Lady of the Almudena, with her presence and the assurance of her protection, tells us something else: to build something new, beautiful and lasting, we must be willing to destroy the walls, because to resume the journey, spaces are needed that allow us to glimpse the horizon.
Convinced that the Lord walks with His holy People, listens to their fears and graciously receives all their efforts for good, I exhort you not to grow weary in your witness of faith, to contemplate the Father’s plan of love; of charity, to unite as one family of brothers and sisters; and of hope, to sustain you in your action in the world. And may the example and intercession of Holy Mary the Royal of the Almudena, the Virgin of the Magnificat who continues to proclaim the greatness of the Lord and rejoice in God her Savior, guard and strengthen your love for Jesus and the Church, so that you may be builders of bonds that restore the universal language of communion, fraternal love and harmony.
And, making my own some words of the hymn dedicated to her, I entrust you to the powerful help of her maternal love:
Holy Mary of the Almudena,
Virgin and Mother of the Redeemer,
Queen of Heaven, Mother of Love,
beneath your mantle, simple Virgin
your children seek protection,
Loving Mother, Temple of God,
shelter us, O Lady, and help us to be
builders of peace and reconciliation.
Amen.