At Mass in housing projects and tourist hotspots, Romans pray next pope focuses on poverty and peace

ROME – At Masses successful Rome’s lodging projects and successful the bosom of its tourer district, the faithful prayed Sunday for the upcoming conclave that volition elite Pope Francis ’ successor.

Whether successful the squat 1980s factual religion of San Paolo della Croce, adjacent to a notorious nationalist lodging project, oregon facing millennium-old aureate mosaics successful Santa Maria successful Trastevere, Catholics shared 2 main hopes for the church’s future.

Young and old, Romans and migrants alike said they would similar the adjacent pontiff to marque religion accessible to those connected the margins and assistance bring bid to a satellite they spot arsenic teeming with dangers.

Next pope should absorption connected poor

Michele Cufaro said helium prays the adjacent pope volition “focus connected the poor, poverty, destruct hatred, meanness and wars, and re-educate the younker … who are getting wholly lost.”

The solid and metalworker archetypal lived successful the Corviale projects crossed the thoroughfare – a multistory grey nationalist lodging artifact that snakes connected a hilltop for much than 3,100 feet (1 km) – erstwhile it was built successful the aboriginal 1980s. He said helium knows firsthand the world of poverty, addiction and exclusion that continues to plague galore of its residents.

“I travel to entrust myself to a higher power, for the things that I can’t lick myself,” Cufaro said aft Mass astatine San Paolo arsenic tears welled successful his eyes remembering Francis’ outreach.

The pontiff, who died connected April 21 astatine property 88, visited the parish successful 2018, and comforted a kid disquieted astir whether his precocious deceased atheist begetter would beryllium successful in heaven.

‘We request a pope who comes to sojourn us’

“We request a pope who comes to sojourn us, to spot the situation,” said Ida Di Giovannantonio, who recalled gathering Francis connected that visit.

She said she cried each time erstwhile she moved to the projects 4 decades ago, erstwhile she was successful her 40s, and lone felt harmless going to the parish.

“It’s been a spot of refuge. The mediocre request welcoming and love,” said Di Giovannantonio, who’s besides volunteered with the church’s nutrient bank. On Sunday, a buying cart stood by the church’s entranceway with a motion encouraging the faithful to permission nutrient donations.

Continuing Francis' legacy

Less than 10 kilometers (6 miles) distant but successful a antithetic socioeconomic world, astatine Santa Maria successful the riverside vicinity of Trastevere, Lisa Remondino said she hopes the adjacent pope volition proceed Francis’ legacy, particularly successful helping migrants.

“I anticipation it volition beryllium a welcoming pope, and besides a pope who has the courageousness to combat for peace. He was the lone dependable we had against war, the powerful, and arms,” said the kindergarten teacher, who belongs to the Catholic foundation Sant’Egidio that has worked intimately with Francis to assistance migrants and refugees.

One of the cardinals considered top contenders to win him, the Rev. Matteo Zuppi of Rome, has served successful assorted capacities some astatine Sant’Egidio and close-by Santa Maria, whose instauration dates to the 3rd century.

In the extracurricular portico decorated with past marble inscriptions and swarming with tourists, Marta Finati said she hoped that the religion would proceed to respect dogmas, but besides beryllium unfastened to the wider society.

The adjacent pope should clasp a motivation and governmental enactment for bid that would supply a “reference point” for non-Catholics too, she added.

Rushing to alteration into an altar server robes astatine Sunday afternoon’s Mass astatine Santa Maria, Mathieu Dansoko, who came to Italy from Mali a decennary ago, said coming to religion is “like being with your family.”

“The adjacent pope should person the basal courageousness to bring the neediest from the peripheries to the center,” helium said.

Losing Francis a ‘big blow’

Back connected the periphery of Corviale, the parish priest, the Rev. Roberto Cassano, said losing Francis was “a large blow” for his congregation due to the fact that Pope Francis’ sojourn had “interrupted for a infinitesimal the marginalization of these people.”

“We request to get backmost a spot to God,” helium added successful the tidy roseate plot betwixt the religion and the lodging artifact that packs successful much than 1,500 families. “So overmuch meanness, truthful overmuch egoism, truthful overmuch selfishness is the effect besides of the deficiency of God’s beingness successful people’s lives. … Different societal problems would inactive exist, but a small little acute.”

At Sunday greeting Mass, respective faithful stopped by the past pew to greet an occasional visitant – Cardinal Oswald Gracias of India, who was successful Rome for the conclave gatherings, though having turned 80 astatine the extremity of past year, helium tin nary longer formed a vote.

Upon election, each cardinal gets a “titular” parish successful Rome, and connected Sunday galore celebrated Mass astatine theirs. In his homily, Gracias mentioned the antithetic legacies of the past 3 popes – St. John Paul II’s “world-changing” geopolitical impacts, Benedict XVI’s scholarship, and Francis’ pastoral care. He urged the much than 100 faithful to “pray that the Holy Spirit whitethorn springiness america a pope who meets the needs of the times.”

Elisabetta Bonifazi, who finds successful San Paolo her “point of reference,” said successful a satellite rife with “wars and contradictions,” the caller pope volition request each the divine guidance and prayers.

“He volition person to support carrying this load forward,” she said. “We’re successful an highly hard moment.”

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