Mexico City, Mexico, Feb 17, 2016 / 06:11 am (CNA).- When Pope Francis made a surprise stop at a cloistered monastery Sunday morning, he received a gift from the nuns who live there: a large bouquet of white roses.

But was there more to this gesture than meets the eye?

A year ago when Pope Francis travelled to the Philippines, he revealed that before each trip or when he has a concern, he asks for a rose from Saint Therese of Lisieux. He has a special devotion for the saint.

“When I don’t know how things are going to go, I have the custom of asking Saint Therese of the Child Jesus to take the problem into her hands and send me a rose,” the pontiff explained to journalists in January 2015.

There’s a special story behind the roses he received in Mexico.

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/did-st-therese-of-lisieux-send-roses-to-pope-francis-in-mexico-55502/