To commemorate the Day of the DeadPope Francis has moved to a cemetery on the outskirts of Rome, and celebrated a mass. Before the ceremony, the bishop of Rome has requested to visit “The Garden of Angels”, an area of tombs that houses the remains of unborn children due to a spontaneous or procured abortion.
It is the second time that he has gone to the “fetus cemetery”, because was already in this place on November 2, 2018. The Pontiff’s gesture has not been read only in pro-life terms, but as a reflection on the mystery of the pain and death of children.
The Pope, in the wheelchair, passed by the tombs, surrounded by religious objects, but also colored windmills, stuffed animals and small toys. Francisco stopped to pray in silence in front of a group of tombs, and as he was leaving, a middle-aged man, probably the father of one of the children, approached him and pointed out one of them in particular. Afterwards, the Pontiff left a bouquet of white roses next to the stone that identifies this place as the “Garden of Angels.”
As the Laurentino cemetery website explains, this area of around 600 square meters is «destined to bury babies who never came into the world due to termination of pregnancy. Camellias have been planted in this garden, a flower that evokes innocence, purity and humility.
When the “Garden of Angels” was inaugurated in 2012, the vice mayor of Rome, from Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party, assured that the place “responds to the requests of those who want to ensure a burial place for their unborn child, “Because in the absence of explicit requests, their remains would be eliminated as hospital waste.” To preserve anonymityit is authorized that the tombstones do not include the name and surname, but rather a code. At that time, some left-wing parties protested the opening of this cemetery, as they considered it an attack on the abortion law.
Mass next to the niches
Next, Francisco silently visited the children’s cemetery. In the images distributed by the Vatican He is seen moved before tombstones with photographs of boys and girls.
Afterwards, the Pope celebrated mass in another area of the Laurentino cemetery in the Castel di Decima area, next to the area designated for the niches. The outdoor ceremony was attended by the mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri along with several hundred people.
As on other occasions on this date, Francisco, who looked good, He preferred not to deliver the homily and remain silentand recited a long response for the deceased at the conclusion of the ceremony.
With the exception of the year 2022, every year around November 2 the Pope has visited a cemetery. Has been to the largest cemeteries in Romesuch as the Verano, Prima Porta and the Laurentino. In 2019 he went to the catacombs of Saint Priscilla and in 2020, during the pandemic, to the Teutonic Cemetery, next to Saint Peter’s Basilica. It has also gone to military cemeteries, where the remains of non-Italian soldiers who died during World War II rest: In 2017 it moved to Neptune, where the US military cemetery is located; in 2021 to the French cemetery, and last year, to the Commonwealth cemetery.
This Saturday he also plans to visit the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica, which contains the tombs of many of his predecessors, including Benedict XVI, who died on December 31, 2022.
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