Being a real Christian does not mean being a saint, but giving witness to Jesus in word and, especially, deed, Pope Francis told members of a parish on the eastern edge of Rome.
Spending more than three hours on January 15 at the parish of St Mary in the Setteville neighbourhood, Pope Francis had the same basic message for the children and youths as he did for the parish as a whole: "Christian witness is done with three things: words, the heart and the hands."
As is his custom for parish visits in the Diocese of Rome, Pope Francis arrived in the late afternoon and held separate meetings with the children and teenagers from the religious education programme and Scout groups; with the parents of the 45 babies baptised in the parish over the past year; with a group of parishioners who are sick or have disabilities; and with the parish council and more than 100 parishioners active in parish activities.
