Hail Mary, full of grace: Why popes and other Catholics pray to the Virgin Mary

GENAZZANO, Italy — Pope Leo XIV closed his first public blessing as pontiff with a Hail Mary, after invoking the feast day of Our Lady of Pompei. On his first papal trip, he went to the Sanctuary of Our Mother of Good Counsel in the medieval village of Genazzano and on the drive back stopped to pray by Pope Francis' tomb in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.

That's just three of a myriad Virgin Marys around the world, whose veneration is central to Catholics from the pope to the ordinary faithful. Even many of the less-than-devout know what it means to throw a Hail Mary.

The month of May is dedicated to Marian celebrations, so here's a look at the history and traditions about Mary and why praying to her means so much to so many.

One Mary, a myriad titles

According to the Gospel, Mary is the mother of Jesus — and the mystery of the incarnation of the son of God through her is central to Christian dogma.

The oldest title for Mary is precisely ''mother of God,'' or Theotokos in the original Greek. It was chosen after heated theological debate in the first centuries of Christianity.

St. Mary Major is the oldest still-standing sanctuary dedicated to that, said Giuseppa Falanga, professor of liturgy at Pontificia Universita della Santa Croce in Rome. It was built on one of Rome's hills in the 5th century — according to tradition, because of the pope's dream and an August snowfall there on what is now also celebrated as the day of Our Lady of the Snows.

There are three major categories of titles for Mary — first, those related to dogma and major events in her life.

The Assumption on Aug. 15, for instance, celebrates Mary being taken body and soul into heaven. It's marked by Masses and religious festivals but also the peak of summer holidays for faithful and atheists alike in countries such as Italy and Greece, where all but the most essential work grinds to a halt on that feast day.

Then there are titles related to apparitions. In December, millions gather in Mexico, and across the Americas, to celebrate the Virgin of Guadalupe who, according to church tradition, appeared to an Indigenous man in 1531. Millions more visit the sanctuaries in Fatima, Portugal, and in Lourdes, France, other sites of apparitions in the past few centuries.

And then there are titles based on what pilgrims and faithful want — from Good Counsel to protection (the many ''Guard'' Marys ) to Star of the Sea, invoked by seafarers.

''It's almost like there's a Mary for everything,'' said Kayla Harris, professor and director of Marian Library at University of Dayton in Ohio.

It's also why the rosary is one of the most widely used prayers — including publicly for the pope — and why popular devotions to the Virgin Mary, including processions and festivals, are so central to Christianity, Falanga said.

Different icons, common prayers

How Mary is represented, however, varies greatly across time and places, Harris added.

There are ''Black'' Virgin Marys — dark-skinned paintings and statues like Brazil's much beloved Virgin of Aparecida. In rare icons, she's represented pregnant or as an older woman.

She's either portrayed alone or, most often, holding the baby Jesus, as in the Genazzano 15th century painting, a close-up of the two faces with Jesus' fingers holding his mother's neck. Mary looking at Jesus makes a theological point, too — inviting worshippers to fix their gaze on Christ, not her.

In fact, according to the Catechism, Catholics are to give Mary special veneration, but not worship her — something reserved for God alone, Falanga said.

Motherhood, prayers and the month of May

It's that relatability as a mother figure that makes Mary so universally appealing as an intercessor before God, Harris said.

Since the 19th century, May has been devoted to the Virgin Mary — though already in Greek and Roman times, goddesses of fertility were celebrated in this month of springtime blooming, she added.

Mother's Day is also celebrated in May in many countries, including Italy and the United States — and it coincided with Leo's first public Sunday blessing at noon, a time for another traditional daily invocation to the Virgin Mary.

Two mothers who went to morning Mass on a recent weekday at the Genazzano chapel — where the Mary icon stands — said they pray their children, ranging in age from 18 to 24, will keep the faith.

''The Madonna has been holding my hand since I was a child,'' said Anastasia Galizia, who grew up in the village and witnessed Leo's visit. ''I ask her how to love her son and I pray for conversion, for me, for my family and for the whole world."

At the Basilica of St. Augustine in Rome, which is served by Augustinians — Leo's religious order — there are two popular prayer spots for mothers. One is a sculpture known as the ''Labor Madonna'' where expecting mothers go; the other is a chapel with the relics of St. Monica, St. Augustine's mother, who prayed incessantly for his conversion.

''We welcome a lot of moms, who come to pray to St. Monica for their children, who have walked away from the faith, and they ask the Lord for the gift to touch their hearts,'' said the Rev. Pasquale Cormio, the basilica's rector.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.