The Vatican Gardens welcomed a new Marian mosaic and a statue of St Rose of Lima during a rainy but joyful ceremony that clearly delighted Pope Leo XIV, who has often spoken of Peru as holding a “special place” in his heart.
The artworks were donated by Peru’s bishops during their ad limina visit and created by young Peruvian artists from the Don Bosco Family of Artisans.
The mosaic honours the Virgin Mary, surrounded by seven major Marian devotions of Peru, while the sculpture depicts St Rose of Lima, the first saint of the Americas.
Pope Leo thanked the artists and praised the works as reminders of the universal call to holiness.
“These beautiful images we contemplate today remind us of the greatness of the vocation to which God calls us, that is, the universal call to holiness. I encourage you to be, with God’s grace, witnesses and examples of that holiness in today’s world,” the pope said.
Peruvian bishops highlighted the country’s deep Marian faith and the enduring witness of St Rose amid today’s challenges.
The pope, who spent many years as a missionary and bishop in Peru, called the gifts a sign of strong communion between the church in Peru and the Holy See.
