Pope Francis visited the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome yesterday evening to pray before the Icon of Our Lady, Salus Populi Romani, invoking the protection of the Mother of God on his visit to Lesbos, Greece, on Saturday 16 April. The Pope offered Our Lady a bouquet of white and blue roses, symbolising the colours of Greece, the Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi announced, as reported by Vatican Radio.