Mary's assumption into heaven was a special sign of God's favour, but it also indicates God's desire to save all people, body and soul, Pope Francis said.
Reciting the Angelus prayer on the feast of the Assumption, Pope Francis also asked the crowd in St Peter's Square to join him in praying for the 38 people who died the previous day when a large span of a highway bridge collapsed in Genoa, Italy.
But he also prayed for all people who are suffering around the world. "To Mary, consoler of the afflicted, who we contemplate today in the glory of heaven, I want to entrust the anguish and torment of those who, in many parts of the world, suffer in body and spirit."
