Pope prays for ‘grace’ of peace at Rome’s famed Marian basilica

ROME – Pope Francis on Monday, for the first time in his 11-year papacy, marked the feast of the dedication of his favorite Roman basilica by celebrating Vespers there and praying for the Virgin Mary to intercede in obtaining the gift of peace for the world.

Speaking to faithful gathered in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, one of four papal basilicas in Rome, the pope asked Mary to intercede in obtaining “peace, that peace which is true and lasting only when it flows from repentant and...