His Holiness Pope Francis celebrated Mass for the Faithful Departed in Rome’s Laurentino Cemetery on Friday, observed in the Roman Rite as All Souls’ Day. It is one of the city’s newer cemeteries, having been dedicated in 2002 by His Eminence Cardinal Camillo Ruini, at the time Cardinal Vicar for the Diocese of Rome.
As reported by Vatican news, The Pontiff remarked that “Today is a day of memory that takes us back to our roots. It is also a day of hope. It reminds us of what we can expect: the hope of encountering the love of the Father.” Before the Liturgy, His Holiness Pope Francis paused for a moment of silent prayer in a part of the cemetery set aside for young children who have died.
His Holiness Pope Francis concluded his homily with the prayer that “we may never lose our memories as a family, a people.” “May we never lose hope,” he said, “always contemplating the horizon, always looking ahead. May God grant us the grace to recognize the lights that accompany us to where He awaits us with so much love.”
