Ioannes PP. XXIII

Without a doubt, meeting Pope John XXIII, the “Good Pope,” was an unforgettable moment. The meeting took place on November 20, 1962, in the midst of the plenary council, when John XXIII granted a special gift to the Legionaries and to all of Latin America. The next day, the Spanish newspaper ABC reported:

"Rome 20. His Holiness John XXIII attended the solemn ceremony of the coronation of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe that presides at the main altar of the Church of the Mexican religious congregation ´Legionaries of Christ.´ The ceremony, which took place early in the afternoon, included all of the Spanish bishops present in Rome. Cardinal Garibi y Rivera, Archbishop of Guadalajara (Mexico), presided over the ceremony along with the attendance of the entire Mexican episcopate and representatives of other episcopal conferences."

When the Pope entered to the Church, the Creed was sung. There were some moments of prayer in front of Mary´s image (a reproduction of the tilma of the Virgin of Guadalupe) and then the Pope took a seat and spoke to the attendees about the Blessed Virgin. They were words of fervor, of filial devotion, in that warm tone, at once personal and paternal, that was so characteristic of Roncalli. John XXIII concluded the ceremony by reciting a beautiful prayer to Mary that he had learned in his youth.