Pope Leo XIV honors Peru’s St. Rose of Lima at the Vatican Gardens, highlighting the universal call to holiness and unity in faith.
Newsroom (02/02/2026 Gaudium Press ) The serene expanse of the Vatican Gardens gained new spiritual and artistic splendor this weekend as Pope Leo XIV blessed two sacred images—a Marian mosaic and a statue of St. Rose of Lima—commissioned by the Peruvian Bishops’ Conference.
The ceremony, attended by the Ambassador of Peru to the Holy See, Jorge Ponce San Román, and Bishop Carlos Enrique García Camader of Lurín, celebrated both artistic beauty and spiritual kinship. Pope Leo described the event as a renewal of “the profound bonds of faith and friendship that unite Peru—a country so dear to me—with the Holy See.”
Standing amid lush greenery and sunlight filtering through Rome’s late-winter sky, the pontiff remarked that the Gardens are “a beautiful place, where everything speaks to us of the Creator and of the beauty of creation.” His words echoed the ethos of the day—a harmony between earthly artistry and divine inspiration.
The newly installed images, created by the “Don Bosco Family of Artisans,” a collective of young Peruvian artists from the Andes, symbolize both cultural devotion and youthful faith. Crafted with care and reverence, the mosaic of the Blessed Virgin and the statue of St. Rose now find a permanent home in the heart of Vatican City, serving as enduring witnesses to a transcontinental bond between devotion and art.
“The two figures evoked—our heavenly Mother and the first Latin American Saint, Rose of Lima—lead us to the theme of holiness,” Pope Leo XIV said. He recalled the call of the Second Vatican Council for all Christians to strive for “the fullness of Christian life and the perfection of charity.” Quoting from Lumen gentium, he underscored that “the holiness of the People of God will bring forth abundant fruits,” a truth that continues to unfold through lives touched by grace.
The Pope used the moment to invite believers to rediscover the “greatness of the vocation to which God calls us, that is, the universal vocation to holiness.” This appeal, framed by art, faith, and the example of a saint who rose from the Americas to the altars of the Church, felt at once local and global—a reminder that sanctity transcends borders.
As the ceremony closed, Pope Leo prayed that the Virgin Mary and St. Rose of Lima might “intercede for us on our journey toward the heavenly homeland.” With quiet conviction, he left a final exhortation: “I encourage you to be, with the grace of God, witnesses and examples of that holiness in the world today.”
Under the radiant symbol of Peru’s first saint and the gentle gaze of Mary, the day’s event transformed a corner of the Vatican Gardens into an emblem of peace, beauty, and divine calling—an enduring testimony to the universal vocation shared by all who seek holiness.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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