Pope Offers Beach Ball to Our Lady at Santa Maria Maggiore Before WYD

From the Eponymous Flower:



Here's the Report from News.va:

After his arrival at Ciampino airport, the Holy Father chose to stop at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major to offer a brief prayer to the Blessed Virgin for World Youth Day. 

Seeing the Pope as he entered the Basilica, a group of young people approached him and offered him a T-shirt and a ball. Pope Francis later offered the gifts to the Madonna.

This is one of the great churches of Christendom, and recalls a time when it snowed in the summer as a sign of Our Lady's favor.  It was commemorated by the command of St. Pius V in connection with Trent... (continued)

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• Pope Offers Beach Ball to Our Lady at Santa Maria Maggiore Before WYD 

Chinese beachgoers, preferring paleness, wrap up in the ‘facekini’

By Alex Dickinson

(The Daily) No, they’re not about to rob a bank and this isn’t a Pussy Riot support rally.

These swimmers in the seaside city of Qingdao are just taking part in the latest fashion craze to hit China — “facekinis.”

The colorful fabric masks — which cover everything down to the collarbones, leaving a gap only for eyes, nostrils and mouths — are the latest way to prevent getting overtanned, enthusiasts say.

“The mask not only helps me from getting tanned, it also prevents jellyfish stings,” bather Liu Aiwen told Chinese media. “Normal swimmers here all dress like this. We’re used to it already.”

Websites selling the masks for between $2 and $4 say their bright orange version can even scare off sharks. And probably a few friends.

Link:

• Who Was That Masked Tan?