On this All Souls' Day morning, Pope Francis visited the Laurentino cemetery in the south of Rome. He prayed in the section dedicated to the stillborn, and celebrated Mass. Instead of a homily, he led a moment of silent prayer.
As he does every year on the November 2 feast, the Pope left the Vatican to drive to a cemetery in the Eternal City. This time, he chose the Laurentino Cemetery - Rome's third-largest cemetery at 21 hectares - which he already visited six years earlier in 2018.
Arriving in bright sunshine, the Pope first visited the “Gardens of the Angels,” a small 600-square-meter plot where the remains of stillborn babies rest. In his wheelchair, in the silence of the surrounding countryside, the Pontiff paid his respects before the small white steles covered with cuddly toys.
At the foot of two statues of angels watching over the garden, he also laid a wreath of white roses for those children who never saw the light of day.
In fact, the Pope's prayer intention for this month of November invites Catholics to pray for parents who have lost a child and are experiencing pain “so great that there are no words.”
The Bishop of Rome then moved to the open-air Mass site, set up in front of the cemetery chapel and lined with cypress trees. Some 600 people awaited him, including the city's mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, representatives of the Italian police force, and staff from Ama, the company responsible for waste management and cemetery maintenance in the capital.
The Pontiff presided over a sober liturgy. During the Mass, the faithful prayed in particular for “the victims of hatred, war, and violence.”
At the end of the celebration, Pope Francis prayed for comfort for those who experience “the pain of separation” after the death of a loved one. He recalled our Christian faith in the resurrection, assuring us that “even mortal bodies will awaken on the last day, and those who have fallen asleep in the Lord will be associated with Him in the triumph over death.”
