Why popes, other Catholics pray to the Virgin Mary

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 Saint Mary Major in Rome, Italy.

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.

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.

Saint 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.