Rome Newsroom, Sep 8, 2020 / 07:30 am
The Italian president and a senior Vatican official visited the Holy House of Loreto Tuesday for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, said Sept. 8 in Loreto: "We are here to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on the occasion of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in this glorious sanctuary, where, according to tradition, are enshrined the stones of the Holy House of Nazareth, where the greeting of the angel resounded."
The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the celebration of Mary's birth, is of particular importance to the Holy House in Loreto, Italy, as tradition holds that it contains parts of the walls of the home in which the Virgin Mary was born, raised, and greeted by the Angel Gabriel at the Annunciation.
Historical documentation shows that the Holy House of Mary was brought from Palestine to Italy in the 13th century.