The last Pope to visit the Quarticciolo was John Paul II in 1980. There was therefore great anticipation this afternoon in this neighborhood on the eastern outskirts of Rome marked by public housing built during fascism and whichJust a few days ago he was surrounded by the Carabinieri who conducted a maxi anti-drug operation.
And on the afternoon of Sunday 1 March Pope Leo XIV arrived to visit the parish of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ at Quarticcioloin the eastern outskirts of Rome, welcomed by the cardinal vicar Baldo Reina and the parish priest Father Daniele Canali. Between songs and welcome banners such as “It is right that everyone has a home” and “Come on Pope Leo: You are great!”, Leo XIV greeted the faithful, blessed the children and listened to their questions, in particular on the meaning of evil: “We know that evil exists, but the more important is that good exists, love exists, and that in this parish there is the light of love“. The opposite of drugs: “The drug problem that also exists in many places, including here in this area. Always reject what is bad and try to say “yes” to health, “yes” to what is good. Always “no” to drugs, but always “yes” to what is good for you… Being teachers in this sense, with the testimony that can help young people, children, young people a lot, also trying to eliminate these problems, which are so serious, from the streets”, the Pope said.
Leo XIV then expressed his strong concern for the international situation, as he had done during the Angelus.
“From this moment on I am very worried about what is happening in the world: especially yesterday, today and we don’t know for how many days, in the Middle East. War, again! We too must be heralds of the message of peace, the peace of Jesus, the peace that God wants for everyone. So we need to pray a lot for peace and seek how to live unity and how to always refuse that temptation to harm others. Violence is never the right choice. And we must always choose the good.”
“In this world many children have no family, no home, no food and drink, no bed to sleep in. This truly is a tragedy that exists among us”, added the Pope. “We have all seen the tragedy in recent years, for example in Gazawhere so many children died, where so many children were left without their parents, without school, without a place to live.”
Leo XIV then invited us to find ways to: “be promoters of peace, of reconciliation, seeking solutions not with violence, but with dialogue”.
