All Souls Day: Pope Francis Celebrates Holy Mass at Rome War Cemetery

By Verghese V Joseph.

At 10 this morning, on the day of commemoration of all the faithful departed, the Holy Father Francis presided over the Holy Mass in the Rome War Cemetery in Rome.

Upon his arrival, the Pope was welcomed by Vice Chairman Peter Hudson CBE, Area Director Geert Bekaert, Country Manager Italy Claudia Scimonelli and the Cemetery staff.

Along the way, he placed white flowers on some graves and gathered in a moment of prayer.

At the end of the Eucharistic Celebration, Pope Francis made a brief stop in front of the AC Catholic Cemetery in Rome before returning to the Vatican.

In his homily that the Pope delivered off the cuff after the proclamation of the Gospel, he said, “The celebration of a day like today brings us to two thoughts: memory and hope. Memory of those who preceded us, who spent their lives, who ended this life; memory of so many people who have done us good: in the family, among friends… And also memory of those who were not able to do so much good, but were received into the memory of God, into the mercy of God. It is the mystery of the great mercy of the Lord.”

“And then hope. Today’s is a memory to look forward, to look at our path, our path. We walk towards an encounter, with the Lord and with everyone. And we must ask the Lord for this grace of hope: the hope that never disappoints; hope, which is the everyday virtue that carries us forward, helps us solve problems and look for ways out. But always forward, forward. That fruitful hope, that theological virtue of every day, of all moments: I will call it the theological virtue “of the kitchen”, because it is at hand and always comes to our aid. The hope that does not disappoint: we live in this tension between memory and hope,” the Holy Father said.

Comforting those affected by the war, he said, “I would like to focus on something that happened to me upon entry. I looked at the age of these fallen. The majority are between 20 and 30 years old. Lives cut short, lives without a future. And I thought of the parents, of the mothers who received that letter: “Madam, I have the honor of telling you that you have a hero son.” “Yes, hero, but they took it away from me!”. So many tears in those lives cut short. And I couldn’t help but think of today’s wars. The same thing happens today too: many young and no longer young people… In the wars of the world, even in those closest to us, in Europe and outside: how many deaths! Life is destroyed without being aware of it.”

He urged the faithful gathered there, “Today, thinking of the dead, cherishing the memory of the dead and cherishing hope, we ask the Lord for peace, so that people no longer kill each other in wars. Many innocent dead, many soldiers who lose their lives. But why this? Wars are always a defeat, always. There is no total victory, no. Yes, one wins over the other, but behind it there is always the defeat of the price paid. Let us pray to the Lord for our deceased, for everyone, for everyone: may the Lord receive them all. And we also pray that the Lord will have mercy on us and give us hope: the hope of moving forward and of being able to find them all together with Him, when He calls us. So be it,” the Holy Father added.

Picture courtesy: Commonwealth War Graves Commission