Papal Honors
Among the Popes who have honored Our Lady of Luján are Clement XI, Clement XIV, Pius VI, Pius IX, Leo XIII, Pius XI, Pius XII, John Paul II, and Francis, the first “son of Argentina” to follow in St. Peter’s footsteps. In 1824 Fr. John Mastai Ferretti visited the shrine on his way to Chile. He later became Pope Blessed Pius IX who defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, 1854.
Because of the reputation of the shrine, Pope Leo XIII decided in 1886 to honor the miraculous statue with a papal coronation. On September 30 of that year he blessed the crown, which was made of pure gold set with 365 diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires, 132 pearls and a number of enamels depicting the emblems of the Archbishop and the Argentine Republic. The papal coronation of Our Lady of Luján took place on May 8, 1887. The celebrant chosen by the Pope for this event was Archbishop Aueiros, who made a pilgrimage at that time in thanksgiving to Our Lady for sparing his archdiocese from the scourge of cholera.
In 1930 Pope Pius XI solemnly declared Our Lady of Luján Patroness of Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay—a long standing spiritual reality, now blessed and confirmed by the Holy Father himself.
Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli served as the Papal Legate to the XXXII International Eucharistic Congress held in Buenos Aires in October, 1934. He visited the Basilica on October 15 and later recalled the day saying “upon entering the Basilica, whose two spires rise to heaven like shouts of jubilation, it seemed as if we had arrived at the depths of the soul of the great Argentine peope.” When he later became Pope Pius XII, he made a radio address to the pilgrims in Luján on the occasion of the First Marian Congress in Argentina in 1947.
In 1982, Pope John Paul II became the first pope to visit Our Lady of Luján in person. During this historic mission of peace and encouragement at a difficult time in the history of Argentina, the Holy Father celebrated an outdoor Mass in the square of the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján and bestowed upon her the Golden Rose. Both in his homily of June 11 and his Angelus back in Rome reflecting on the trip, he commented on Our Lady’s never failing maternal solicitude for the faithful in times of distress. Sixteen years later in Rome, John Paul II gave a replica of the image to the Argentine National Parish during his pastoral visit there.
The Golden Rose
The Golden Rose is a gift granted by the Pope to nations, cities, basilicas, sanctuaries or images. It is personally blessed by him on the fourth Sunday of Lent, anointed with the Holy Chrism and dusted with incense. This Rose consists of a golden rose stem with flowers, buds and leaves, placed in a silver vase lined on the inside with a bronze case bearing the Papal shield. Pope Leo IX is considered as the originator of this rite in the year 1049.
In the Americas, the Rose has been given to Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico, to Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil, and on June 11, 1982 John Paul II personally bestowed one on Our Lady of Luján, Patroness of Argentina. Most recently, Pope Benedict XVI bestowed the Golden Rose upon the Immaculate Conception, Patroness of the United States, at the National Shrine in Washington, DC during his 2008 visit.
Homily of Pope John Paul II given at Luján
June 11, 1982
“Discovering the mystery of God’s love”
On the afternoon of Friday, 11 June, the Holy Father visited the Marian sanctuary of Our Lady in Lujan, some seventy kilometers from Buenos Aires. During the solemn Eucharistic concelebration in the square, Pope John Paul delivered the following homily.
Beloved Brothers and Sisters,
1. Before the beautiful basilica of Lujan, dedicated to the “Pure and Immaculate Conception”, we are gathered this afternoon to pray at the altar of the Lord. We wish to ask the Mother of Christ and Mother of each of us to present to her Son the deepest anxiety of our hearts, afflicted and thirsting for peace. We wish today to pray for courage, hope and brotherhood from her who, since 1630, maternally welcomes here all those who come to implore her protection. Before this blessed image of Mary, to whom my predecessors Urban VIII, Clement XI, Leo XIII, Pius KI and Pius XII showed their devotion, Peter’s Successor in the See of Rome also comes to kneel in the communion of filial love with you.
The cross of Christ on Calvary
2. The Liturgy which we are celebrating in this holy place, to which the sons and daughters of Argentina come in pilgrimage, places before everyone’s eyes the cross of Christ on Calvary: “But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalen” (Jn 19:25). Coming here as the pilgrim of difficult times, I wish to re-read, in union with you, the message of these words, so well known, which sound the same way in different parts of the earth, but different at the same time. They are the same at different moments in history, but they assume a different significance. From the height of the cross, supreme chair of suffering and of love, Jesus speaks to his Mother and speaks to his disciple. He says to his Mother: “‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!”‘ (Jn 19:26-27) In this sanctuary of the Argentine nation, at Lujan, the Liturgy speaks of the elevation of man by means of the cross: of the eternal destiny of man in Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Mary of Nazareth. This destiny is revealed with the cross on Calvary.
3. The author of the Letter to the Ephesians offers testimony of this destiny of eternal and more elevated man, inscribed ;n the cross of Christ: “Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has bestowed on us in Christ every spiritual blessing in the heavens” (Eph 1:3). We see this Christ at the center of the Liturgy celebrated here at Lujan; high on the Cross, pledged to an ignominious death. In this Christ we find ourselves also, raised to a height to which man can be elevated thanks only to the power cf God: it is the “spiritual blessing”. This elevation through grace we owe to Christ’s elevation on the cross. According to the eternal designs of fatherly love, in the mystery of the Redemption, the one is achieved through the other and in no other way; only through the other. Therefore, it is achieved eternally, since the love of the Father and the gift of the Son are eternal. It is also achieved in time: the cross on Calvary in fact means a concrete moment in the history of mankind.
Adopted sons
4. We have been chosen in Christ “before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before hill” (Eph 1:4). This choice implies the eternal destiny in love. He has destined us ” to be his sons through Jesus Christ” ( Eph 1:5). The Father has given us the dignity of his adopted sons through his “Beloved”. Such is the eternal decision of God’s will. In it is manifested the “glory of his grace” (Eph 1:6). And the cross speaks to us of all this. The cross which today’s Liturgy places at the center of the thoughts and of the hearts of all pilgrims who have come from the various areas of Argentina to the sanctuary of Lujan. The Bishop of Rome is with them today as a pilgrim of the special events which have filled so many hearts with anxiety.
5. Therefore I am with you, dear brothers and sisters, and with you I read again this profound truth of the elevation of mankind in the eternal love of the Father: a truth attested by the cross of Christ. “We who first hoped in Christ have been destined and appointed to dive for the praise of his glory” (Eph 1:11-12). We must look toward Christ’s cross with the eyes of faith and discover in it the eternal mystery of God’s love, about which the author of the Letter to the Ephesians speaks to us. This is, according to the words we have just heard, ” the purpose of him who accomplishes all things, according to the counsel of his will” (Eph 1:11). The will of God is the elevation of mankind through Christ’s cross to the dignity of a child of God. When we look at the cross, we see in it the passion of man: the agony of Christ. He revealed Word and the light of faith permit us to discover through Christ’s Passion the elevation of man, the fullness of his dignity.
Also our Mother
6. It is thus that, when we embrace Christ’s cross with our gaze the words addressed to Mary from the height of that cross assume for us even greater significance: “‘Woman, behold, your son!”‘ (Jn 19:26). And to John: “‘Behold, your mother!”‘ (Jn 19:27). These words are a kind of will of our Redeemer. He who with his cross fulfilled the eternal plan of God’s love, who with the cross restores the dignity of the adopted sons of God, the same one entrusts us, at the moment of completing his sacrifice, to his own Mother as children. In fact, we maintain that the phrase “behold your son” refers not only to the one disciple who remained near the cross of his Master, but also to all men.
7. The tradition of the sanctuary of Lujan has placed these words at the very center of the Liturgy, in which it invites all pilgrims to share. It is as if it meant: learn to look upon the mystery which constitutes the great perspective of the destinies of man on earth, and also after death. Also learn to be sons and daughters of this Mother, whom God in his love gave to his own Son as Mother. Learn to look in this way, especially during difficult times and in circumstances of greater responsibility. Do so at this moment in which the Bishop of Rome wants to be with you as a pilgrim, praying at the feet of the Mother of God at Lujan, sanctuary of the Argentine nation.
An act of offering
8. Meditating upon the mystery of the elevation of each person in Christ: of each child of this nation, of each child of mankind, I repeat with you the words of Mary: For he who is mighty has done great things for us (cf. Lk 1:49), “and holy is his name. And his mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear him. He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the conceit of their hearts. . . He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity for ever” (Lk 1:49-55). Sons and daughters of the Argentine nation who are united here at this sanctuary of Lujan! Give thanks to the God of your fathers for the elevation of each person in Christ, the Son of God! From this place in which my predecessor Pius XII believed he had reached “the depths of the soul of the great Argentine people” (Radio message of 12 October 1947 at the First National Marian Congress), continue to grow in faith and in love for mankind. And you, Mother, listen to your sons and daughters of the Argentine nation, who welcome as if directed to them the words pronounced from the cross: Behold, your son! Behold’ your Mother! In the mystery of Redemption Christ himself entrusted us to you. each and every one.
We have come today to the sanctuary of Lujan in the spirit of having been placed in your care. And I – Bishop of Rome – also come to pronounce this act of offering of each and every one to you. In a special way I entrust to you all those who, because of recent events, have lost their lives: I commend their souls to eternal rest in the Lord. I also entrust to you – all those who have lost their health and are recovering in hospital, so that during their trials and sufferings their souls may feel comforted. I commend to you all families and the nation. May everyone share in this elevation of man in Christ proclaimed by today’s Liturgy. May they live the fullness of faith, hope and charity as adopted sons and daughters of the Eternal Father in the Son of God. Through your intercession, O Queen of Peace, may the ways to the solution to the present conflict be found, in peace, justice and respect for the dignity of each nation.
Hear your children, show them Jesus, the Savior, the way, truth, life and hope. Amen.
(C) Harmony “The Teachings of Pope John Paul II” CD-ROM
Angelus Given by Pope John Paul II
June 13, 1982 | Upon Returning to Rome…
Reflection About Argentina and Our Lady of Luján
Visit to Argentina rightly understood and welcomed
On Sunday, 13 June, just about three hours after returning from his brief visit to Argentina. Pope John Paul II addressed the following message to the faithful in St. Peter Square before the weekly recitation of the Angelus.
1. In the letter that I addressed on 25 May to the beloved sons and daughters of Argentina, I said to them. “My special love for your nation and for all of Latin America is well known. . . Deeply worried about the cause of peace and moved by love for you. . . it would be my wish even to come directly from Great Britain to Argentina, and there among you and with you to raise the same prayer for the victory of a just peace over war. I hope that soon you will he able to join the Pope in the sanctuary dedicated to the Mother of God in Lujan, consecrating “our families and your Catholic country to the motherly heart of the Mother of God” (n. 4).
2. Today in our Angelus prayer I wish, together with you present here in St. Peter’s Square in Rome. to thank Divine Providence. because It was granted me to fulfill the promise contained in that letter to the Argentine nation, written before my apostolic journey to England, Scotland and Wales. I wish to thank also all the people who contributed to the realization of this important undertaking. The reasons that guided me were explained in the same letter of 25 May. I am deeply grateful that these reasons were well understood and cordially received. The festive and yet profound participation in the liturgical celebrations demonstrated the Christian sensitivity with which the Argentine people were able to understand my intentions, just as was the case also during my pastoral visit to Great Britain.
3. The brief visit to Argentina was centered around the liturgy of Corpus Christi, which in this case was celebrated yesterday (Saturday) in Buenos Aires. One preparation for this Eucharistic Liturgy was the Mass celebrated in the afternoon of the preceding day in sanctuary of the Mother of God in Lujan. God elevated man on the cross of his Son, and strengthens him on the paths of life, even when they are most difficult and full of suffering, the Sacrament of the New and Eternal Covenant. that is with the food of Body and Blood.
We meditated on this truth with brothers and sisters in Argentina the clergy and the episcopate of Argentina itself and of the various countries of Latin American of all at the Marian sanctuary In Lujan, and then in Buenos Aires In the very place where in 1934, the International Eucharistic Congress was held, presided over by the Papal Legate, Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, who later became Pope Pius XII. I express a heartfelt thanks to everyone in particular. I address my thanks to the President of the State, as well as to the other authorities who encouraged the realization of this important undertaking.
4. “The Church, while maintaining love toward every single nation, cannot do less than safeguard universal unity, peace and mutual understanding. . . The Church does not neglect to give witness of the unity of the great human family and to seek ways to emphasize this unity beyond every tragic division. They are the ways that lead to justice, love d peace” (Letter to the Argentine Nation, 5).
5. The Church must give witness of peace also for the other conflict that has newly erupted in Lebanon these past days. Yesterday a truce was reached between the Israelis and the Palestinians. However, it is so fragile and precarious, after very hard encounters and bombardments that have caused death and injury in greatly increased numbers, thousands of new refugees and enormous destruction. A deep sense of pity and sorrow arises from my soul for these events. I pray and I invite you to pray that God may enlighten the responsible parties In these crucial moments, that the truce may be strengthened, and that there be no more recourse to Irma.
People ate not called to fight and destroy each other, but to understand and agree with each other in order to live together peacefully. It Is an illusion to believe that war and violence lead to true solutions. Instead, they sow new hatred and greater mistrust. Only moderation and wisdom open the way to. negotiation. From negotiation there can spring lasting agreements in which each people particularly the Palestinian people that is now subjected to the hardest trials and see their proper identity preserved and can find their aspirations heard.
And Lebanon, which is weighed down by such a heavy burden of conflict, will finally have to obtain security and peace, in the guarantee of its sovereignty and integrity, in order to return to being a factor of balance and collaboration in the midst of the peoples of the Middle East, all of whom we would want reconciled with one another.
It is also necessary for the Church’s witness of peace to be expressed with a concrete solidarity in favor of the populations that have been hit by the destructive tornado of this new war. Vast assistance of every kind is needed for the wounded, for the families of the victims. for the refugees. I am confident that everyone will want to respond with generous charity to the appeal that I am making for those suffering brothers and sisters of ours.
(C) Harmony “The Teachings of Pope John Paul II” CD-ROM
