Pope Francis prayed especially on 2 November, the day the Catholic Church dedicated to the demised souls. The Holy Father visited the Garden of the Angels, at the Laurentino Cemetery in Rome (Italy).
According to Vatican News, the official Vatican news website, the Holy Father arrived at the site at around 9:45 a.m. (local time). There he had a moment of silent prayer, and a special meeting with Stefano, father of one of the children buried there, who gave him a letter and briefly shared a few words with him.
Then, in the same cemetery, Pope Francis presided over the Holy Mass, in which, instead of the homily, he again had time for silent meditation.
In closing, the Pope said a prayer, expressing the renewal of “our faith in Christ, who died, was buried and rose again for our salvation.”
“Mortal bodies too will awaken on the last day and those who have fallen asleep in the Lord will join him in triumphing over death,” the Pope said.
“Listen to the prayer we address to you for all our loved ones who have left this world: open the arms of your mercy and welcome them into the glorious assembly of Holy Jerusalem,” he added.
“Console those who suffer the pain of parting with the certainty that the dead live in you and that even the bodies entrusted to the earth will one day share in the paschal victory of your Son,” the Pope said.
“You have placed the Blessed Virgin Mary as a luminous sign on the path of the Church, and through her intercession sustain our faith, so that no obstacle makes us deviate from the path that leads to you, who are endless joy,” he added.