Pope Leo has continued his pastoral visits in Rome, asking parishioners to ensure that their parish is an example of a Church that “cares for her children”.
The comments were made while visiting the Parish of Santa Maria della Presentazione in the Torrevecchia neighbourhood, one of the poorer areas of Rome and a parish that had not received a papal visit since Pope St John Paul II visited in 1982.
According to EWTN, the parish priest, Fr Stacchiotti, said: “This is not an easy neighbourhood. But the crime reports do not do justice to the good that exists here. This is a united community, full of generous people who do not hold back in helping one another.”
“We will give the Pope an icon made by consecrated women who have lived in Bastogi for 30 years,” Fr Stacchiotti continued. “It is a copy of the Madonna Pellegrina that travels around the neighbourhood during the month of May. It is not a precious gift, but it is a symbol of our parish.”
In his homily, the Holy Father also acknowledged the challenges facing the parish, stating: “Your parish community lives in an area with numerous challenges. There is no lack of troubling situations of marginalisation, material and moral poverty.”
Referring particularly to the challenges facing young people, he said: “Even adolescents and young people risk growing up deceived by those who would peddle death, or disillusioned about the future. Many are waiting for a home, a job that will ensure a dignified life, safe environments where they can meet, play and plan something beautiful together.”
However, in the midst of these difficulties, he encouraged parishioners to embrace their role in bringing Jesus to those around them: “You have the urgent and liberating task of showing the closeness of Jesus, His desire to redeem our existence from the ills that threaten it with a proposal for a just, true and full life.”
He explained that this strength begins with the Eucharist, “the beating heart of every Christian community”, and encouraged parishioners to “ensure that the parish activities are a sign of a Church that, like a mother, takes care of her children, without condemning them, but rather welcoming them, listening to them and supporting them in the face of danger”.
The Holy Father finished by imploring the help of the Virgin Mary for parishioners to be “courageous proclaimers of the Gospel”.
There is a historical precedent for popes making pilgrimages to Roman parishes during Lent. As early as the fourth century, it had become an established tradition for the pope to visit a church in each part of the city and celebrate Mass with the congregation.
Pope Leo, as Bishop of the Diocese of Rome, announced to the clergy of the diocese on Thursday, February 19, the day after Ash Wednesday, that on each of the five Sundays of Lent he would visit parish communities representing the five pastoral regions of the Eternal City.
On the First Sunday of Lent, he visited the Parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Castro Pretorio area of Rome, a church that serves as the mother church of the Salesian order and where St John Bosco lived. The following Sunday he celebrated Mass at the Parish of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Alessandrino district of Rome. His final visit will be on March 15 to the Parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Ponte Mammolo.
