On the eve of the commemoration of the faithful departed—known in Mexico as the Day of the Dead—the “Pope Francis Memorial” was inaugurated at the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City on the evening of 1 November.
According to the Archdiocese of Mexico, this is “a multi-platform project that seeks to preserve the memory of our deceased and generate proposals to benefit vulnerable elderly people.”
It also aims to be “a concrete example of the transmission of faith among the new generations.”
For the inauguration, within the framework of the Day of the Dead, a great offering or altar of the dead was held in the atrium of the Basilica of Guadalupe, a tradition in Mexico that has Christian origins and pre-Columbian influences.
After concluding the prayer of the second Vespers, presided over by the Archbishop Primate of Mexico, Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, Emilio Vega, president of the Pope Francis Memorial, stressed that it was “a day to give thanks,” especially to Pope Francis, who “having many options has chosen Mexico to be the country where the memorial begins and from here we go to other places.”
“I hope that this memorial will serve, among many other things, to help all these people who need our help,” he said.
The Pope Francis Memorial will be available from early November through the App Store for iOS devices and the Play Store for Android.
Message from Pope Francis
Pope Francis attended the memorial’s inauguration ceremony through a video message, in which he stressed that “the spiritual and moral legacy left by our dear deceased is immense.”
“They taught us to pray, to trust in God, to serve others. They showed us how to love, forgive, and be fair and compassionate. They passed on faith and love to us,” he said, stressing that “this magnificent heritage does not die with them. It lives in us, transforms us and calls us to continue to pass it on.”
“A tree separated from its roots does not grow, does not produce flowers or fruit,” he said.
The Pope encouraged the faithful to care for the elderly “with gentleness and delicacy,” so that the gestures and words directed at them “are an expression of the love of Christ.”
“These are the two key points of the Memorial: to honour the memory of those who came before us and to generate inclusion projects for older adults,” he stressed.