A mosaic of St. Charbel blessed by Pope Francis has been installed in the Vatican grottoes located beneath St. Peter’s Basilica.

On January 19, the vicar general of His Holiness for the Vatican City State and archpriest of the Vatican basilica, Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, participated in placing the framed mosaic in the grotto where the papal tombs are located.

After the installation of the mosaic, attended by Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, a Maronite-rite Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the Hungarian chapel of the Vatican crypt by the Maronite patriarchal vicar to the Holy See, Bishop Rafik Warsha.

The image of the Lebanese saint, who is revered in both East and West, was blessed by Pope Francis after the November 15, 2023, general audience and was hung next to the tomb of St. Paul VI, the pontiff who declared him a saint on October 9, 1977.