Monday morning after having landed in Rome’s Ciampino Airport the evening of March 31, 2019, Pope Francis traveled to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore to offer thanks for the success of his two-day Apostolic Visit to Morocco, March 30-31. ZENIT French Edition Director, Anita Bourdin, was on the papal flight, covering the trip.
After the stop, Director ‘ad interim’ of the Holy See Press Office, Alessandro Gisotti, on his Twitter, made the following tweet: «This morning on returning from his journey to Morocco, Pope Francis went to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major to pray.«
It is already a usual detour for the Holy Father to go to the Marian Basilica; he always venerates the icon before and after his international apostolic trips.
During his time inside, Francis prayed before the ancient image of Mary, Salus Populi Romani, in silence for several minutes.
