The Litany of Our Lady of Sorrows isn’t your typical litany. It was written because of one of the most shocking occurrences in papal history: the imprisonment of Pope Pius VII by Napoleon.
Pope Pius VII was a Benedictine monk and renowned theologian who was taken prisoner due to his unyielding opposition to Napoleon’s attempts to subjugate the Church in 1809.
The Pope was dragged over the alps by soldiers to Fontainebleau Castle in France, almost dead from the harsh journey.
A Pope As Prisoner
Napoleon held Pius VII prisoner for almost five years. The conflict between the pope and Napoleon was brutal. Accounts state Napoleon subjected the pope to doses of morphine to make him bow to Napoleon’s demands.
In the end, none of this worked and Pope Pius VII returned to Rome on May 24, 1814. The relieved pope issued a declaration to all of the Catholics who had suffered under Napoleon:
We have shed tears of grief in our prison, first for the Church committed to our care, because we knew of her needs though we were powerless to help her, and then for the people subject to our authority, because the cry of their tribulations reached us without being able to bring them comfort . . . The pride of the madman who set himself up as equal of the Most High has been humbled. (Encyclopedia of the Papacy 2:1188)
The Making of the Litany
The litany is one of the most beautiful prayers associated with enduring hardship through faith.
While the devotion comes from visions of St. Bridget of Sweden, many saints and popes used it in various ways.
Our sufferings are best united with part of the Prayer of Consecration to Our Lady of Sorrows:
With thee, O Mary, I will endure all the sufferings, contradictions, infirmities, with which it will please thy Divine Son to visit me in this life. All of them I offer to thee, in memory of the Dolors which thou didst suffer during thy life, that every thought of my mind, every beating of my heart may henceforward be an act of compassion to thy Sorrows, and of complacency for the glory thou now enjoys in Heaven.
Download the Litany
Get the PDF Litany to Our Lady of Sorrows HERE
