Catholic Ragemonkey

Our Lady of Kazan (Kazanskaya)

For those who have read much concerning the return of this venerable icon but didn't understand what the hubbub was about, consider this post your basic one-stop shopping portal.
I believe this icon also goes by the title, Our Lady of Tenderness, but I could be mixed up.

For history, go here and here.

For the Pope's homily, go here.

For the Pope's letter to Alexei II, the Patriarch of Russia, go here.

For a picture of the icon, go here.

For pictures of the celebration, go here.

Why the Holy Father handed over this icon should be as clear as the beard on my cheeks. "I have become all things to all men, in the hope of winning at least some." In this case, our Holy Father has become one of the Russian people who have looked to Our Lady under this particular invocation and have longed to have returned to them this symbol of their love for the Blessed Mother. He returns this image of wood, gold, and pigment, so that, holding on in the virtue of hope, that the true image of the Son might be reflected in a Body of Christ healed of all divisions.

UPDATE: For a completely different take on this story, go consult the Curt Jester.