Pope Francis went to the Laurentino Cemetery in Rome to celebrate the mass for the deceased. Without delivering the homily, the Pope chose meditation, remaining with the assembly in a profound silence of meditation. The other significant moment of the visit also took place in silence: Francis stopped to pray in the area known as “The Garden of Angels”, where unborn children are buried. This gesture, a symbol of his continued attention to the issue of abortion, had already been made in 2018, during a previous visit to the same cemetery.
During the celebration, the pontiff gave one of the warnings, recalling: «The Church invites us to meditate on the mystery of death in the light of the Easter of Jesus Christ; May common prayer support our journey and fuel the desire for a heavenly homeland.” At the end, he blessed the graves by sprinkling them with water.
Before concluding, Francis read a prayer, reported below in full:
«In visiting the cemetery, the resting place of our deceased brothers and sisters, we renew our faith in Christ who died, buried and rose again for our salvation. Even mortal bodies will awaken on the last day, and those who have fallen asleep in the Lord will be associated with Him in triumph over death. With this certainty, we raise our unanimous prayer of suffrage and blessing to the Father.
Blessed be you, O God, Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who in your great mercy have regenerated us through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead to a living hope, for an inheritance that does not corrupt or decay (see 1 Peter 1, 3-4). Hear the prayer we address to You for all our loved ones who have left this world. Open the arms of your mercy and receive them into the glorious assembly of holy Jerusalem. Comfort those who are in the pain of separation, with the certainty that the dead live in You and that even the bodies, entrusted to the earth, will one day participate in the Easter victory of your Son. You, who have placed the Blessed Virgin Mary as a luminous sign on the path of the Church, through her intercession support our faith, so that no obstacle makes us deviate from the path that leads to You, who are the endless glory. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen”.
The mass, celebrated outdoors in front of the chapel under a sunny sky, saw the participation of thousands of faithful and the presence of the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri.
