This December 7th, on the eve of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Francis sent a letter to the Archbishop of Syracuse (Italy), Monsignor Francesco Lomanto, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the tears of the Virgin of Syracuse, which fell over the headboard of a matrimonial bed, in the home of a poor family.

The prodigy occurred in 1953, in the humble home of Angelo Iannuso and Antonina Lucia Giusto. In their room, the couple had a plaster relief image of the Virgin Mary. Over four days, from August 29th to September 1st, human tears fell from the eyes of the image.

The Iannusos had received the image of the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin as a wedding gift, and Antonina, pregnant with their first child, was the first to witness the miracle.

"Since then, the Church of Syracuse has lovingly and devoutly safeguarded these tears, which often reach the sick, elderly, suffering, and ecclesial communities in various parts of the world, as a sign of the close and heartfelt presence of the Mother of God and ours," the Holy Father notes in his letter.

"Mary's weeping shows her participation in the Lord's compassionate love, who suffers for us, his children; who ardently awaits our conversion; who, like a merciful Father, waits to forgive us everything and always," he continues.

Pope Francis mentions that this prodigy occurred "in the precarious context of the post-war period, in a modest village house where a humble family lived." "These circumstances remind us of the Lord's privileged love, lover of life, for the poor and needy," he adds. The Pontiff then emphasizes: "The prodigious event, which occurred in the intimacy of a home, invites us to consider the extraordinary beauty of the domestic home, a center of love and life, and to support the family founded on marriage, highlighting the intrinsic value of the fundamental cell of society and the Church."

Before concluding with a prayer to the Virgin Mary, the Pope wishes that her "maternal solicitude encourages believers to build and walk paths of peace and forgiveness, and to be close to those who are sick in body and spirit, those who are alone and abandoned."

Below is the prayer with which the Holy Father concludes his letter: 

Oh Virgin Mary, 

accompany the Church's journey 

with the gift of your holy tears, 

grant peace to the entire world 

and watch over your children 

with your maternal protection. 

Sustain us in fidelity to God, 

in service to the Church, 

and in love towards all our brothers and sisters. 

Amen.

This article was originally published on ACI Prensa.