A short, but significant stop in Piazza dell’Aracoeli at the foot of the staircase of the Capitol home to the Municipality of Rome. A meeting, that of Pope Leo with the mayor Roberto Galtieri, who was not seen by John Paul I. The first citizen of Rome underlines him giving his tribute to the Pope and promising him to walk together “to help affirm the paradigm of a new policy, of new relationships between peoples and states, of an improvement in the social model”. A message, explains Gualtieri thanking “for choosing to renew the tradition of this meeting at the foot of the Capitol, the house of the civic and democratic administration of the city”, which is “the precious witness that Pope Francis has left us for the Jubilee”. The mayor is certain that “We and the whole city of Rome will be his allies. We are happy that Rome is now her city, and we offer her the most intense and greedy greetings for her new mission ». It recalls the Jubilee and the responsibility of promoting peace. «Peace is the strongest universal vocation of Rome. And precisely to the mission of peace, holiness, he wanted to dedicate his first words to the world, from the window of the apostolic palace: a joyful wave of hope that crossed the entire city and touched the heart of each of us. Rome, holiness, knows she is observed, loved, studied from all over the world. He is proud to be a global capital and feels the responsibility that he also comes from this position also wants to become more and more an advanced civil development laboratory, capable of proposing to the world solutions to those “new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and work” of which he spoke to the College of Cardinals immediately after his election “.
For his part, Pope Leo, in the footsteps of Paul VI who, first pope since the time of the fall of temporal power, wanted to return to the Capitol on April 16, 1976 and said he was “proud to be Cives Romani, like St. Paul”, repeats, among the applause: “After the election, I reminded the brothers and sisters agreed in St. Peter’s Square who are with their Christian and for their bishop: I can say that I can say that Roman! ».
Before going to San Giovanni in Lateran Pope Leone reiterates that “” By officially starting the Ministry of Pastore of this diocese, I feel the serious but exciting responsibility to serve all his limbs, having first of all having the faith of the people of God, and therefore the common good of society. For this last purpose we are collaborators, each in their own institutional scope ». He recalls Rome to his history: «For two millennia the Church has lived its apostolate in Rome announcing the Gospel of Christ and lavish himself in charity. The education of young people and assistance towards those suffering, dedication to the last and the cultivation of the arts are expressions of that cure for human dignity that at all times we must support, especially towards the little ones, the weak and the poor. In the Holy Year of the Jubilee, this concern extends to pilgrims from all over the world, and also makes use of the commitment made by the Capitoline Administration, for which I express lively gratitude “.
And he hopes that “Rome, unparalleled for the richness of the historical and artistic heritage, always distinguishes itself also for those values of humanity and civilizations that draw their lifeblood from the Gospel”.
