Pope Leo XIV asks Our Lady of Good Counsel for aid to make ‘courageous and wise decisions’

4:10 PM ETDeveloping

Faith Desk

In Short: Pope Leo XIV has asked Our Lady of Good Counsel for guidance and courage in making wise decisions, following recent violent attacks in Ukraine.

Following the latest violent attacks in Ukraine, Pope Leo XIV expressed sorrow and called for peace," said the pontiff during his Angelus address in St. Peter's Square. "He also emphasized the importance of honest communication and prayer in resolving conflicts, echoing the teachings of Jesus in the Gospel.

During his visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Genazzano, Italy, Pope Leo XIV reflected on the Gospel passage of Matthew 18:15-20, urging the faithful to welcome the divine Word and make decisions of authentic conversion. "Let us ask her for her Good Counsel, so that we may welcome the divine Word, keep it within us, and bring it to light through courageous and wise decisions," he said in his homily.

The visit to the shrine, which holds special significance for Pope Leo, was his second since becoming pope. He previously made a surprise visit just days after his election in the May 2025 conclave to pray before the image of the Virgin Mary. The shrine, dedicated to Our Lady of Good Counsel, has a long history of attracting pilgrims, including several popes, and is entrusted to the Augustinian Province of Chicago.

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“With a sorrowful heart, I have followed the news of the latest violent attacks that have recently struck several cities and civilian infrastructures in Ukraine, causing the deaths of innocent people,” the pope told pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, following the recitation of the Angelus.
“This is a delicate art, too often forgotten, that calls for frankness and a gradual approach. Speaking honestly with one another — first face to face, then, if necessary, with two or three others, and finally, when required, with the whole community — means facing reality and transforming problems and conflicts into opportunities for growth. Complaining and speaking ill of others are easier, but they accomplish nothing and leave many situations paralyzed,” the pope said.
Leo said he hoped that “the efforts undertaken in these days to resume negotiations will bear concrete fruit and open space for diplomacy.” The pope spoke on the same day that U.S.
“As you may remember, ‘in the early days of my pontificate, I felt the duty and a deep desire to visit Genazzano, the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel, who has accompanied me throughout my life with her maternal presence, her wisdom and the example of her love for her Son, who is always the center of my faith,'” the pope said at the start of his homily, quoting words he wrote in the shrine’s guest book on his first visit.
The Augustinian Province of Chicago, where then-Robert Prevost entered religious life, was dedicated to Our Lady of Good Counsel, and he has visited the Genazzano sanctuary for decades since his first visit while studying in Rome in the early 1980s.
The shrine, entrusted to the Augustinians since the 14th century, has drawn many pilgrims over the centuries, among them several popes, including Urban VIII, Pius IX, John XXIII and John Paul II, who are depicted in frescoes on the walls of the basilica.
He first knelt in prayer before the main altar and then visited the chapel containing the revered image of Our Lady of Good Counsel, where he prayed silently and presented a golden rose, a traditional papal gift.

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