ALL SOULS DAY: POPE PRESIDES AT MASS, VISITS TEUTONIC CEMETRY, PRAYS AT ST. MARY MAJOR BASILICA

ALL SOULS DAY: POPE PRESIDES AT MASS, VISITS TEUTONIC CEMETRY, PRAYS AT ST. MARY MAJOR BASILICA

Today, All Souls Day, Pope Francis presided at Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the repose of the souls of those cardinals and bishops who died in the last year. After Mass, he went to the small, historical and very beautiful Teutonic cemetery in Vatican City. He has made visiting cemeteries on All Souls Day a hallmark of his pontificate.

He was greeted by the Sisters Handmaids of Christ the Priest, who care for the cemetery, and the rector and vice rector of the Pontifical Teutonic College of Santa Maria. The Holy Father stopped briefly for private prayer and blessed a number of the tombs with holy water before returning to his residence in the Casa Santa Marta.

This is one of my favorite places to visit in Vatican City. Following are some of the photos I’ve taken on various occasions:

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This afternoon, as is his custom before embarking on an apostolic trip, Pope Francis went to St. Mary Major Basilica to pray before the beloved icon of Salus Populi Romani. During this, his 100^th visit to the basilica of his pontificate, he entrusted Our Lady with his three-day journey to Bahrain that starts tomorrow.

 

THESE TOMBS SPEAK, THEY CRY OUT FOR PEACE!

THESE TOMBS SPEAK, THEY CRY OUT FOR PEACE!

Pope Francis, in what has now become a traditional part of his papacy on the feast of All Souls, visited a cemetery, going this morning to the Monte Mario area of Rome to the French Military Cemetery. He arrived a half hour earlier than scheduled, entering at the gate that says, “Cimitière Militaire Français” – Campagne d’Italie 1943-1944” (French Military Cemetery – Italian campaign 1943-1944).

As part of this annual tradition, the Pope strolls through the cemetery, places white flowers on a number of tombs and presides at Mass where he delivers an off-the-cuff homily.

As he looked at the tombs, the Holy Father said, “These people are good people, they died in the war. They died because they was called to defend their homeland, defend values, defend ideals and, many other times, defend sad and lamentable political situations. They are victims, victims of war, war that consumes a country’s sons. I think of Anzio, of Redipuglia, I think of the Piave, in ‘1914,; so many were left there. I think of Normandy beach; 40,000 in that landing. But it doesn’t matter, they fell.”

Francis mentioned one grave in particular that struck him, that of an unknown soldier, “a grave without a name and only the words ‘Unknown. Died for France’. But this is the tragedy of the war. I’m sure all these who went in good will, called from their homeland to defend it, are with the Lord. But we, who are still on the way, do we fight sufficiently so that there are no wars?”

And then, the very heart of Pope Francis’ message: “May countries’ economies no longer be fortified by the arms industry! This sermon should be about  ‘Looking at tombs’: ‘Died for France’. Some have names, others no. But these graves are a message of peace: “Stop, brothers and sisters, stop! Stop, arms manufacturers, stop!”

(photos are from Vatican media)

A video of the papal Mass with English translation in part is here: Holy MassFrom the French Military Cemetery – YouTube

LIFE IN ITALY: THE FEASTS OF ALL SAINTS AND ALL SOULS

THE DOGMA OF THE ASSUMPTION PROCLAIMED 71 YEARS AGO TODAY .Seventy-one years ago today, November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII issued the Apostolic Constitution, “Munificentissimus Deus” that defined the dogma of the Assumption that proclaims that the Virgin Mary “having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”

LIFE IN ITALY: THE FEASTS OF ALL SAINTS AND ALL SOULS

There is an almost unreal silence outside today because it is November 1, All Saints Day, a big holiday in Italy and the Vatican. The Vatican also observes November 2 – All Souls Day – as a day off, a day that used to be an Italian holiday but has been removed from the calendar of public holidays. Not that that makes much difference to Italians who use any excuse to create what they call a “ponte,” a bridge to an extra long weekend. Thus, given that today, Monday, is a holiday, most Italians probably had a three day weekend.

Today at noon, as he usually does on Sundays and solemnities, Pope Francis recited the Angelus with the faithful and tourists gathered in cloud-covered St. Peter’s Square. He began by noting, “Today we celebrate All Saints, and in the Liturgy the ‘programmatic’ message of Jesus resounds: namely, the Beatitudes. They show us the path that leads to the Kingdom of God and to happiness: the path of humility, compassion, meekness, justice and peace. To be a saint is to walk on this road.”

The angelic artist, Fra’ Angelico’s, Feast of All Saints

The Pope then commented on one aspect of a saintly life, joy: “Jesus begins with the word “Blessed”. It is the principal proclamation, that of an unprecedented happiness. Beatitude, holiness, is not a life plan made up only of effort and renunciation, but is above all the joyful discovery of being God’s beloved sons and daughters. And this fills you with joy. It is not a human achievement, it is a gift we receive: we are holy because God, who is the Holy One, comes to dwell in our lives. It is He who gives holiness to us. For this we are blessed!”

He then explained a second aspect, prophecy: “The Beatitudes are addressed to the poor, the afflicted, those who hunger for justice. It is a message that goes against the grain. Indeed, the world says that in order to have happiness you must be rich, powerful, always young and strong, and enjoy fame and success. Jesus overturns these criteria and makes a prophetic proclamation – and this is the prophetic dimension of holiness – the true fullness of life is achieved by following Jesus, by putting His Word into practice.”

The Holy Father told the pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square, that tomorrow morning, November 2, All Souls Day, “I will go to the French Military Cemetery in Rome. It will be an opportunity to pray for the eternal repose of all the deceased, especially for the victims of war and violence. In visiting this cemetery, I join spiritually with all those who during these days go to pray at the tombs of their loved ones, in every part of the world.”

It has been tradition at the Vatican for Popes on November 1 to celebrate Holy Mass for the Solemnity of All Saints at a Rome cemetery, for many years Campo Verano, and, on the following day, November 2, to lead a prayer service in the Vatican Grottoes for all deceased Popes. Francis has changed the tradition a bit in recent year and has visited various Rome cemeteries.

This year, on Thursday, November 4, at 11 am in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Altar of the Chair, he will celebrate Mass for the repose of the souls of those bishops and cardinals who died in the course of the year.

November 1 – the feast of All Saints – is such an important day for Italians that newspapers – and now social media and websites – publish special inserts on how to get to a city’s cemeteries, where to park cars, what shuttle buses are available within cemeteries, etc. Cemetery hours – usually longer in the October 29 to November 5 “remembrance” period – are posted, as are the hours and routes of the “C” busses (“C” for cimitero or cemetery).

In Rome there are 12 cemeteries and each one has special rules and regulations and opening hours. The larger ones will also have free shuttles buses (because no cars will be allowed) to take people to the graves of loved ones. In Rome’s largest cemetery, Verano, 16 stops have been programmed for these buses.

About one million people visit Rome’s cemeteries in the annual weeklong period dedicated to the deceased. The city always make a concerted effort at this time of year to clean cemeteries of trash, to repair walkways and even headstones and to do some serious gardening. Visitors too will clean tombs, bring fresh flowers and entire families will meet to mourn their dearly departed as well as to celebrate their lives.

Afterwards family members will usually all go out for lunch or dinner, sometimes even taking a picnic lunch along to eat at cemeteries where it is allowed as this is what the very first Christians did when they gathered at burial grounds or in the catacombs.

Just about any Italian tradition seems to be linked to food, as you will see!

Thelocal.it, an online publication in English, annually publishes interesting stories on how Italians mark All Saints and All Souls in different regions:

“In Sicily, children hunt for treats left by loving relatives no longer around. In northern Italy people leave their homes empty in case the dead want to visit. All over the country, Italians set an empty place at the table for people who no longer sit there.

“Some believe that the spirits of those departed return to earth on this day. To welcome them, one common Italian tradition was to set an extra place at the table or even put out a tray of food for invisible visitors.

“In Sicily, those who return bring something with them. Children who’ve been good and remembered dead relatives in their prayers all year long are rewarded with gifts of toys and sweets, sometimes hidden around the house on the morning of November 2nd.

“Elsewhere it’s customary for the living to give gifts. In Sardinia children go from house to house on All Souls’ Day collecting treats of cakes, nuts and dried fruit in exchange for a prayer for the deceased. And in Emilia Romagna the poor are entitled to “carità di murt”: charity in the name of the dead, in the form of donated food or money.

“Each region has its own variation on dolci dei morti, sweets of the dead, treats meant to sweeten the bitterness of death. Usually simple white biscuits, they’re typically baked in the form of a bone as an edible memento mori.

“Another variation is fave dei morti, beans of the dead, small ground almond cakes in the shape of a bean. They’re sometimes given as gifts between lovers on All Souls’ Day – either as a comfort or a pledge to be faithful “’til death do us part”.

“A more savoury tradition is a special stuffed bread seasoned with chilli, which some southern Italians would take to be blessed at All Souls’ Day mass before eating it. The spicy filling was supposed to allow whoever ate it to take on burning punishment on behalf of souls suffering in purgatory, thereby offering them some relief.”

One Rome paper a few years back even published a survey on the cost of funerals, saying “there is some meager consolation for those in mourning in the capital of Rome because a funeral there costs the least” of all cities questioned for the survey. On the average they can run from $2,500 to $8,000 in Rome. These prices usually include a walnut coffin with zinc interior, flowers, the burial and documents.

However, says the paper, the best bargain is still a funeral paid for by the city, with Turin being the best buy at 660 Euro or $844, and Genoa being the costliest at 2,000 Euro or $2,560. I’ve not been able to find updates for those prices but am guessing they have changed since I first saw them about three years ago.

Prices for flowers greatly increase at this time of year and I learned a hard lesson my first year in Rome.

It was the very end of October and I went to a private clinic to visit a friend who had just had serious surgery. I wanted to bring Lina an impressive bouquet of flowers to cheer her up but my budget did not allow for “impressive.” So I did the best I could. I bought about 8 or 10 chrysanthemums – being bigger flowers, they seemed more impressive as a bouquet. Surely just the thing to bring a smile to Lina’s face!

Well, I knew the minute I walked into the room that something was wrong. I saw a strange look on Lina’s face (and also on the face of a cousin visiting her, a priest), but never for a minute did I associate it with the flowers. We chatted and visited and faces seemed to brighten up, so I dismissed the first impression I had received that something was wrong.

Only much later did I learn that chrysanthemums are viewed by Italians as the flower of the dead and are the flowers that most people bring to place on the graves of their loved ones! Fortunately for me, Lina and Fr. John were wonderful, understanding friends who gently, some time later, told me what bringing chrysanthemums to someone in the hospital just days before the feast of All Saints is just not done! (Actually they seem to frown on flowers in hospitals at other times of the year as well.)

Like other hard-learned lessons in Italy, this was one mistake I never repeated.

Today, but especially tomorrow, Italians visit cemeteries in huge numbers, cleaning the graves of their loved ones and bringing votive candles as well as armloads of flowers, especially chrysanthemums.   The price of flowers can rise steeply twice a year – on November 1 and 2 and on December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception.

On that day in Rome people bring flowers to the Piazza di Spagna, Rome’s celebrated Spanish Steps, placing them at the base of the column with the statue of Mary or on a table near the column. The loose flowers are then woven by priests and brothers into large bouquets or wreaths and placed near or on the column.

POPE FRANCIS AND THE CATACOMBS OF PRISCILLA

Pope Francis this afternoon, All Souls Day, said Mass in the Roman catacombs of St. Priscilla in the presence of a small group of faithful and delivered an off-the-cuff homily.  Following is a history of the catacombs offered by Vatican media as well as some photos they sent out late this afternoon.

The photos the Vatican offers include Pope Francis but if you wish to see photos that correspond to the description of the different rooms, tombs and halls of the catacombs, click here: http://www.catacombepriscilla.com/visita_catacomba_en.html

POPE FRANCIS AND THE CATACOMBS OF PRISCILLA

The Catacombs of Priscilla sit on the Via Salaria with its entrance in the convent of the Benedictine Sisters of Priscilla. It is mentioned in all of the most ancient documents on Christian topography and liturgy in Rome and, because of the great number of martyrs buried within it, it was called “regina catacumbarum” – “the queen of the catacombs.”

This cemetery was lost like all the others after the entrances were blocked to protect it from thievery; however, it was also one of the first to be rediscovered, in the sixteenth-century. A large portion of the funerary inscriptions, sarcophagi, stones and bodies (presumed to be those of martyrs) were subsequently taken away; nevertheless, the catacomb does preserve some particularly beautiful and important paintings, the most significant of which are included on the regular visit.

The Galleries of the Cemetery
Dug into the tuff, a soft volcanic rock used to make bricks and lime, the galleries have a total length of about 13 kilometres, at various depths. The first level, which is the most ancient, winds along in a series of galleries; the walls are full of “loculi,” the most common kind of tomb. The bodies were laid within them, directly on the dirt, wrapped in a shroud, sprinkled with lime to restrain the normal process of decay, and sealed in with pieces of marble, or tiles.

Inscriptions were written in Greek or Latin on the tombs, or small objects placed near them to help identify graves with no inscription. Only on this level, where the martyrs were buried, do we find the small rooms known as “cubicula” (“bed chambers”), which were the tombs of wealthier families or of the martyrs themselves. Likewise, we find here the “arcosolia,” another type of tomb for the upper classes, often decorated with paintings of religious subjects.

Most of the stories depicted are Biblical, from both the Old and New Testaments, an expression of faith in the salvation and final resurrection obtained for us by Jesus Christ. The stone inscriptions on the tombs are often marked with symbols whose meaning was known to the Christians, but not to the pagans. The best known of these is the fish, the Greek word for which, ICHTHYS, was read as an acronym for the corresponding Greek words that mean “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour.”

The Cubiculum of the Veiled Woman
This room is named for the picture in the semi-circle on the back wall, in which a young woman, wearing a rich purple garment and a veil on her head, lifts up her arms in prayer. On either side of her are two scenes unlike any others among all of the paintings in the various catacombs, probably episodes of her life. In the middle, the Good Shepherd is painted in the Garden of Paradise, amid peacocks and doves. Before this scene, in the arch above the door, the prophet Jonah is shown emerging from the mouth of a sea-monster, a clear expression of faith in the Resurrection. The semi-circle on the left depicts the Sacrifice of Isaac, while on the right are shown the Three Children in the fiery furnace in Babylon; both of these episodes are expressions of faith in God’s salvation, understood by the first Christians as prophecies of the salvation brought by the coming of Christ. These pictures, which are in a remarkably good state of preservation, date back to the second half of the third century.

The Greek Chapel
When this area was found, it was full of dirt that had come down through the light shaft in the ceiling; it is named for the two Greek inscriptions, painted in the right niche, which were the first things seen by its discoverers.

Richly decorated with paintings and stuccos in the Pompeian style, it is formed of three niches for sarcophagi and a long seat for funeral banquets, called “refrigeri” or “agapae,” which were held at the tombs in honor of the dead.

The painting in the central arch at the back, on a red background, shows just such a banquet, but with a clear reference to the banquet of the Holy Eucharist, which also was sometimes celebrated by the Christians near venerated tombs. Seven persons are seated at the table, the first of which is breaking the bread as he stretches out his hands; at the sides of the table are seven baskets, a reference to the miraculous multiplication of the loaves and fishes, when Jesus also promised the bread of eternal life.

Several episodes of the Old Testament are also shown: Noah on the ark; Moses making water run from the rock, a prophecy of the saving waters of baptism; the sacrifice of Isaac; and three stories of miraculous deliverance from the book of Daniel (Daniel among the lions; the three children in the furnace; Susanna accused of adultery by the elderly judges in Babylon, and saved by Daniel). Episodes of the New Testament are also depicted, such as the resurrection of Lazarus, and the healing of a paralytic; the former demonstrates Christ’s power over death, the latter His power over sin. The adoration of the Magi is also represented, a very common image in the Christian cemeteries of ancient Rome, symbolizing the universality of salvation, since the Three Kings were the first pagans to adore Christ.

The Niche with the oldest image in existence of the Virgin Mary.
The image of the Good Shepherd in stucco, (much of which has unfortunately fallen off,) is found on the upper part of a niche which was later expanded into a gallery, most likely because of the presence of a venerated tomb. He is standing among some trees that are stucco on the bottom, but fresco on the top where we see leaves and red fruits painted in vivid color. On either side of the trees there were two more images, but the one on the left has completely fallen away.

On the right is preserved an image of the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus on her knee; a prophet stands next to her, holding a scroll in his left hand, and pointing to a star with his right. This seems to refer to the prophecy of Balaam, “A star shall rise out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall spring up from Israel” (Numbers 24, 15-17). The presence of the prophet indicates that the Child is the Messiah awaited for many ages.

VATICAN INSIDER FOCUS ON THE CARDINAL NEWMAN SOCIETY – HOLINESS IS “THE FRUIT OF GOD’S GRACE AND OUR RESPONSE TO IT” – LIFE IN ITALY: THE FEAST OF ALL SAINTS

VATICAN INSIDER FOCUS ON THE CARDINAL NEWMAN SOCIETY

My guest this week on the interview segment of Vatican Insider is Patrick Reilly, president and founder of the Cardinal Newman Society. We spoke about the Society when he was in Rome for the October 13 canonization of Cardinal John Henry Newman, the namesake of this organization whose mission, as its website says, is to promote and defend faithful Catholic education. We talk about the work and outreach and challenges of the Society, including the many court challenges to faith-based institutions in U.S society.

This week is Part II of our conversation.

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HOLINESS IS “THE FRUIT OF GOD’S GRACE AND OUR RESPONSE TO IT”

Today, November 1 is the Solemnity of All Saints, and, as is traditional on this day, the Holy Father recited the Angelus with pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square. All Saints is a holy day and a holiday in Vatican City and in Italy, and throngs of people travel this weekend.

The Holy Father said, “the Saints are not some distant, unreachable human beings, rather they walked the same difficult path of life along which we travel, with all its successes and failures.” Holiness, he said, cannot be achieved through our own strength, rather it is “the fruit of God’s grace and our free response to it,” making it both a gift and a call.

“Holiness is the path of fullness that every Christian is called to follow in faith, proceeding towards the final goal: definitive communion with God in eternal life.” It requires us to embrace God’s gift responsibly and to “take on a serious and daily commitment to sanctification in all the conditions, duties, and circumstances of our lives, seeking to live everything with love, with charity.”

The Saints who now stand before the throne of God, said Francis, “admitted during life that they needed the divine light and so abandoned themselves to it in trust. …They constitute the ‘Holy City’ to which we look with hope as our definitive goal, as we make our way through this ‘earthly city, fatigued by the bitterness of the journey.” So, he said, “we are encouraged to imitate them.”

After the Marian prayer, Pope Francis said that tomorrow, November 2, feast of All Souls, he will celebrate the Eucharist in the Catacombs of Priscilla, one of the burial places of the first Christians of Rome. He said: “These days, when, unfortunately, there are also messages of negative culture about death and the dead, I invite you not to neglect, if possible, a visit to and a prayer at a cemetery.”

LIFE IN ITALY: THE FEAST OF ALL SAINTS

As I write this column – my traditional column for the November 1 Solemnity of All Saints – there’s been an almost unreal silence outside today, unreal for Rome whose chaotic traffic and honking horns, if nothing else, can cause untenable noise pollution. To enjoy silence, most Romans look forward to Sundays, holidays and the months of July and August when people go away on vacation.

It is so quiet because today is a big holiday in Italy and Vatican City – November 1, the feast of All Saints. The Vatican also observes November 2 – All Souls Day – as a day off, a day that used to be an Italian holiday but has been removed from the calendar of public holidays. Not that that makes much difference to Italians who use any excuse to create what they call a “ponte,” a bridge to an extra long weekend. Thus, given that today, Friday, is a holiday, a number of Italians will take the day off and have a three -day weekend. They might have even left their home town last night!

Today at noon, as he usually does on Sundays and solemnities, Pope Francis recited the Angelus with the faithful and tourists gathered in St. Peter’s Square. I posted those reflections elsewhere.

It is tradition at the Vatican for Popes on November 1 to celebrate Holy Mass for the Solemnity of All Saints at a Rome cemetery, for many years Campo Verano, and, on the following day, November 2, to lead a prayer service in the Vatican Grottoes for all deceased Popes.

Again this year, however, Francis has changed things. In fact, after today’s Marian prayer, Pope Francis said that tomorrow, November 2, feast of All Souls, he will celebrate the Eucharist in the Catacombs of Priscilla, one of the burial places of the first Christians of Rome. He said: “These days, when, unfortunately, there are also messages of negative culture about death and the dead, I invite you not to neglect, if possible, a visit to and a prayer at a cemetery.”

November 1 – the feast of All Saints – is such an important day for Italians that newspapers – and now social media and websites – publish special inserts on how to get to a city’s cemeteries, where to park cars, what shuttle buses are available within cemeteries, etc. Cemetery hours – usually longer in the October 29 to November 5 period – are posted, as are the hours and routes of the “C” busses (“C” for cimitero or cemetery).

In Rome there are 12 cemeteries and each one has special rules and regulations and opening hours. The larger ones will also have free shuttles buses (because no cars will be allowed) to take people to the graves of loved ones. In Rome’s largest cemetery, Verano, 16 stops have been programmed for these buses.

One million people are expected to visit Rome’s cemeteries in the weeklong period dedicated to the deceased, although gray, rainy weather may deter a few. The city always make a concerted effort at this time of year to clean cemeteries of trash, to repair walkways and even headstones and to do some serious gardening. Visitors too will clean tombs, bring fresh flowers and entire families will meet to mourn their dearly departed as well as to celebrate their lives. And then family members will usually all go out for lunch or dinner, sometimes even taking a picnic lunch along (though not for eating in the cemeteries – even though that is what the very first Christians did when they gathered at burial grounds or in the catacombs).

One Rome paper a few years back even published a survey on the cost of funerals, saying “there is some meager consolation for those in mourning in the capital of Rome because a funeral there costs the least” of all cities questioned for the survey. They run about $2,750 in Rome, and, on the high end, cost $4,560 in Milan with Turin and Genoa somewhere in between. These prices include a walnut coffin with zinc interior, flowers, the burial and documents. However, says the paper, the best bargain is still a funeral paid for by the city, with Turin being the best buy at 660 Euro or $844, and Genoa being the costliest at 2,000 Euro or $2,560.

I’m guessing prices have changed significantly since those numbers were published.

Prices for flowers greatly increase at this time of year and I learned a hard lesson my first year in Rome

It was the very end of October and I went to a private clinic to visit a friend who had just had serious surgery. I wanted to bring Lina an impressive bouquet of flowers to cheer her up but my budget did not allow for “impressive.” So I did the best I could. I bought about 8 or 10 chrysanthemums – being bigger flowers, they seemed more impressive as a bouquet. Surely just the thing to bring a smile to Lina’s face!

Well, I knew the minute I walked into the room that something was wrong. I saw a strange look on Lina’s face (and also on the face of a cousin visiting her, a priest), but never for a minute did I associate it with the flowers. We chatted and visited and faces seemed to brighten up, so I dismissed the first impression I had received that something was wrong.

Only much later did I learn that chrysanthemums are viewed by Italians as the flower of the dead and are the flowers that most people bring to place on the graves of their loved ones! Fortunately for me, Lina and Fr. John were wonderful, understanding friends who gently, some time later, told me what bringing chrysanthemums to someone in the hospital just days before the feast of All Saints is just not done! (Actually they seem to frown on flowers in hospitals at other times of the year as well.)

Like other hard-learned lessons in Italy, this was one mistake I never repeated.
Today, but especially tomorrow, Italians visit cemeteries in huge numbers, cleaning the graves of their loved ones and bringing votive candles as well as armloads of flowers, especially chrysanthemums. The price of flowers goes up steeply twice a year – on November 1 and 2 and on December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. On that day in Rome people bring flowers to the Piazza di Spagna, Rome’s celebrated Spanish Steps, placing them at the base of the column with the statue of Mary or on a table near the column. The loose flowers are then woven by priests and brothers into large bouquets or wreaths and placed near or on the column.

ALL SOULS DAY: A PAPAL VISIT TO MILITARY CEMETERY – “PLEASE GOD, NO MORE WAR!”

On my way home from work:

ALL SOULS DAY: A PAPAL VISIT TO MILITARY CEMETERY

Today is All Souls Day and it’s been a long but very rewarding work day, including doing the commentary for Pope Francis’ visit this afternoon to the American military cemetery at Nettuno where he also celebrated Mass. I did learn one thing about the papal Masses for the dead – that homilies are always off-the-cuff- I did not know this was the tradition and was concerned about translating it as I am not a trained simultaneous translator. Hopefully, it worked out well.

I have been to this cemetery and it is beautiful and peaceful and a special place to be in silence, to pray for the dead, to pray that there will never be another war, as Pope Francis did today, to reflect in the results of war and the senseless deaths that occur because of it.

The World War II Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial site in Italy covers 77 acres, including a broad pool with an island and a cenotaph flanked by groups of Italian cypress trees. A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere – essentially, a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Beyond the pool is the immense field of headstones of 7,860 of American military war dead, on broad, beautifully kept green lawns beneath rows of Roman pines. Most of the dead died in the liberation of Sicily (July 10 to August 17, 1943); in the landings in the Salerno Area (September 9, 1943) and the heavy fighting northward; in the landings at Anzio Beach and expansion of the beachhead (January 22, 1944 to May 1944); and in air and naval support in the regions.

Pope Francis placed long-stemmed white roses on a number of the headstones. Most in this cemetery are shaped as a cross but a number also bear the Star of David

More than 218,000 Americans are buried or memorialized overseas.

There is also an American Cemetery and Memorial site in Florence –70 acres and 4,399 graves.

There is a chapel here, on whose white marble walls are engraved the names of 3,095 of the missing. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified. The map room contains a bronze relief map and four fresco maps depicting the military operations in Sicily and Italy. At each end of the memorial are ornamental Italian gardens.

A new, 2,500-square-foot center visitor center opened in May 2014.

“PLEASE GOD, NO MORE WAR!”

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated the Feast of All Souls Day on Thursday commemorating all those who have died in war, reminding humanity not to forget past lessons and warning that the only fruit yielded by conflict is death.

His words of warning and his powerful condemnation of warmongers came during his homily at the Sicily-Rome American War Cemetery some 50 kilometers south of Rome.

Taking the occasion to reiterate his deep conviction that “wars produce nothing more than cemeteries and death” the Pope said he chose to visit a war cemetery as a sign “in a moment when our humanity seems not to have learned the lesson, or doesn’t want to learn it.”

The Nettuno US War Cemetery and Memorial is the final resting place for thousands of men who died during military operations carried out to liberate Italy –  from Sicily to Rome – from Nazi Germany.  Its chapel contains a list of the 3095 missing.

Pope Francis arrived at the War Cemetery early in the afternoon so that he could spend time reflecting and paying his personal respects to the 7,860 – mostly young – soldiers who gave their lives in the name of freedom and respect for humanity.

Walking in poignant silence between the rows and rows of tombstones, Pope Francis bowed to read some of the names and dates inscribed in the white marble: stark reminders of the fact – as he stated during his homily – that the only fruit of war is death.

Please God: no more war

To the somber congregation gathered on this holy day to honour all those who have died, Pope Francis said he chose to come to a place where thousands died in bloody combat, to appeal to the Lord – yet again “Please God: stop them. No more war. No more useless carnage.”

The Pope delivered his off-the-cuff homily with an emotion charged by the dramatic setting provided by hundreds of thousands of graves of young men whose hopes – he said – were cruelly severed, at a time in which the world is again at war and is even preparing to step-up war.

“Please God – he prayed – everything is lost with war”

There are men today who are doing everything to declare war and step up conflict

“There are men, Francis said, who are doing everything to declare war and to enter into conflict. They end up destroying themselves and everything.”

Remarking on the fact that today is a day of hope, but also of tears, he said that the tears wept by those who have lost husbands, sons and friends at war should never be forgotten.

Humanity does not seem to want to learn the lesson

“But humanity, the Pope continued, has not learnt the lesson and seems not to want to learn the lesson”.

Let us pray, he said, in a special way for all those young people caught up in conflict, “many of whom are dying every day in this piecemeal war”.

And he remembered the thousands of innocent children who are also paying the price of war.

“Let us ask the Lord, Pope Francis concluded, to give us the grace to weep”.

 

ALL SAINTS AND ALL SOULS, ITALIAN STYLE – CHRISTIAN FEASTS OF ALL SAINTS AND ALL SOULS

It’s quite interesting to learn how various solemnities and feast days are celebrated in the Catholic Church around the world, in particular those days that we call Holy Days of Obligation, some of which are moveable feasts, that is, the date changes (Easter, for example), whereas some feasts retain the date year after year (All Saints, November 1, Christmas December 25, etc.).

From the USCCB: “In addition to Sunday, the days to be observed as holy days of obligation in the Latin Rite dioceses of the United States of America, in conformity with canon 1246, are as follows:

January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter, the solemnity of the Ascension
August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
November 1, the solemnity of All Saints
December 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
December 25, the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Interestingly enough, here’s what I learned about Hawaii:

From USCCB website: In a decree dated March 23, 1992, the (then) Bishop of Honolulu designated Christmas and the Immaculate Conception as the only two Holydays of Obligation for the State of Hawaii. This implements the indult received from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on May 26, 1990, and the subsequent nihil obstat from the National Conference of Catholic Bishops allowing Hawaii to legislate on this matter in accord with the policies of the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific (CEPAC)

Honolulu Bishop Larry Silva told me the diocese does have only two holy days of obligation for the reasons cited.  The Presbyteral Council recently discussed this and decided to leave things as they are, but special Masses will be offered on the days the rest of the U.S. celebrates as holy days of obligation.  A memo was sent to all parishes to remind the pastors of the importance of celebrating these days and making Masses available at convenient times.

I’ve not done a study on this but I am sure that the holy days of obligation might be celebrated in different ways around the world, according to individual Episcopal conferences, as we have seen with the USCCB.

ALL SAINTS AND ALL SOULS, ITALIAN STYLE

November 1, the feast of All Saints and November 2, All Souls Day are important days for Christians, and for Catholics in particular, especially November 1 as it is a precept of the Church, that is, obligatory Mass attendance.

Halloween, of course, has become the big thing in many cultures now, including Italy even though the word Halloween derives from All Hallows Eve, referring to celebrations of the hallowed or holy, that is, the saints, on the day before their feast day, November 1. Orange and black are the colors here, as they are in the U.S., restaurants offer special menus and are decorated for this seasonal day, and the occasional child can be seen in a costume, although the really big day of the year for children and costumes is Mardi Gras, just before Lent.

It is tradition at the Vatican for Popes on November 1 to celebrate Mass for the Solemnity of All Saint’s at the Campo Verano cemetery in Rome and, on the following day, November 2, to lead a prayer service in the Vatican Grottoes for all deceased Popes. Both days are holidays as well as holy days for Vatican employees.

Vatican grottoes –

Verano –

This year, however, a bit of a change for the Holy Father.

Pope Francis will pay homage to war victims during a visit to the American military cemetery in Nettuno, south of Rome, on All Souls Day, November 2. There, at 3:15 in the afternoon, he will celebrate Mass for all war dead, marking the annual Catholic tradition of mourning the departed. This is a new departure for Pope Francis, who normally says Mass for All Souls’ in Roman cemeteries.

Nettuno –

Later that afternoon the pontiff will visit the Fosse Ardeatine to pray for the 335 victims killed on the site by the then occupying Nazi forces in March 1944. The mass killing was in retaliation to a partisan attack on a column of marching German policemen on Via Rasella, near Piazza Barberini in central Rome – 10 Italians were to be killed for every one German solder killed. Subsequent to the massacre,, the Ardeatine Caves site (Fosse Ardeatine) was declared a Memorial Cemetery and National Monument open daily to visitors. Every year, on the anniversary of the slaughter, a solemn State commemoration is held at the monument in honor of the fallen.

November 1 is such an important day for Italians that newspapers – the paper variety and online – publish special inserts on how to get to a city’s cemeteries, where to park cars, what shuttle buses are available within cemeteries, etc. Cemetery opening hours are usually longer in the October 29 to November 5 period and they are posted online and at the cemeteries, etc.

Also published are the hours and routes of the “C” busses (“C” for ‘cimitero’ or cemetery). In Rome there are 12 cemeteries and each one has special rules and regulations and opening hours. The larger ones will also have free shuttles buses (because no cars will be allowed) to take people to the graves of loved ones. In Rome’s largest cemetery, Verano, 16 stops have been programmed for these buses.

An estimated 1 million people are expected to visit Rome’s cemeteries in the weeklong period dedicated to the deceased. The city always make a concerted effort at this time of year to clean cemeteries of trash, to repair walkways and even headstones and to do some serious gardening.

Visitors too will clean tombs, bring fresh flowers and entire families will meet to mourn their dearly departed as well as to celebrate their lives. Family members then usually go out for lunch or dinner, sometimes even taking a picnic lunch along (though not for eating in the cemeteries – even though that is what the very first Christians did when they gathered at burial grounds or in the catacombs).

One Rome paper a few years back published a survey on the cost of funerals, saying “there is some meager consolation for those in mourning in the capital of Rome because a funeral there costs the least” of all cities questioned for the survey. I don’t have the figures for 2017 but in recent years average funeral costs ran about 6,000-8,000 Euros, with cremation costing between 3,000-4,000 Euros. These prices are supposed to include a walnut coffin with zinc interior (except for cremation, of course), flowers, the burial and documents. However, say newspapers, the best bargain is still a funeral paid for by the city, as they cost several thousand Euros less.

The price of flowers soars for about a week every year during this season, but that does not stop Italians from buying in large quantities. And, as I learned the first year I was in Italy, chrysanthymums are the flower of choice for tombs, for the deceased! You do not bring these flowers to people when you go to their home for dinner nor do you – heaven forbid, as I learned the hard way!!– bring them to people in the hospitals.

CHRISTIAN FEASTS OF ALL SAINTS AND ALL SOULS

– by Father Fr. Stephen F. Torraco for EWTN’s Catholic Q&A:

During the first three centuries of Christianity the Church frequently had to operate “underground” due to the persecutions of the Roman state against her. During these periods there were many martyrs who died for their faith in Jesus Christ. The most renowned of these were honored locally by the preservation of the relics (if available) and by the celebration of the anniversary of their death, as a feast in honor of their birth into eternal life. As time passed, neighboring dioceses would honor each others martyrs and even exchange relics for veneration, the way the first century Christians kept the clothes and handkerchiefs touched by St. Paul (Acts 19:12).

At the end of the third century and the beginning of the fourth the most vicious of all persecutions occurred, that of the emperor Diocletian (284-305). The martyrs became so many that in some places it was impossible to commemorate even the most significant of them. The need for a common feast of all martyrs was becoming evident. This common feast became a reality in some places, but on various dates, as early as the middle of the fourth century. As far as Roman practice goes it is known that on 13 May 609 or 610, Pope Boniface IV consecrated the ancient Roman Pantheon as a temple of the Blessed Virgin and All Martyrs. Beginning with Gregory III (731-741) the celebration of a feast of All Saints was commemorated at St. Peters on November 1. Gregory IV (827-844) extended this feast to the entire Church.

The feast of All Souls developed more gradually, first with a monastic celebration of their departed on October 1st. This seems to have occurred first in Germany in the 900s. The patronage of St. Odilio of Cluny extended this feast to other monasteries, first of his own Order, then to Benedictines and others, from where it spread to dioceses, including Rome. It was only in 1915 that the special privilege of three Masses was granted to all priests by Pope Benedict XV.

 

 

SAINTS ARE AMONG US IN OUR DAILY LIVES, OUR FAMILIES, OUR NEIGHBORS – VATICAN ARRESTS TWO PEOPLE, INCLUDING HIGH RANKING MONSIGNOR

Pope Francis tweeted on October 31:   Vanity not only distances us from God: it makes us look ridiculous.

As I re-read that papal tweet before writing the following story on the arrest of a priest and lay woman in the Vatican over the weekend, it almost seemed fitting for today’s news. One could, however, add another adjective or two after the word “ridiculous.”

I fully intended to dedicate this column to Pope Francis’ marvelous Angelus yesterday, the Solemnity of All Saints, as well as his afternoon Mass at Verano cemetery but feel that this story – which falls into the journalism “creed” of “if it bleeds, it leads” – needed some background information.

So as not to leave you bereft of the lovely papal thoughts, below is a very small nutshell version of the Angelus – enough to start you seriously thinking about how you can become a saint. You see, I am sure that most people want to be good, holy people and perhaps even saints someday, and so his words at the Angelus become meaningful and encouraging.

As I wrote those words, I had a sudden flashback to the visit a few years ago of one of the sisters of my freshman year college roommate at St. Mary’s of Notre Dame. At the end of freshman year I had gone to California to visit Mary, her folks and her 7 siblings for several weeks. Mary’s sister Kathy said she was always struck by how I answered her Dad at the dinner table one night when he asked what I wanted to be, and I replied, “a saint.” And now, Pope Francis has encouraged me!

By the way, today, the feast of All Souls is a holiday in the Vatican. At 6 pm today, Pope Francis went down to the Vatican Gottoes to pray at the tombs of deceased Roman Pontiffs (I believe there are 19).

SAINTS ARE AMONG US IN OUR DAILY LIVES, OUR FAMILIES, OUR NEIGHBORS

As is tradition in Rome on the November 1 Solemnity of All Saints, Pope Francis on Sunday celebrated Mass at Verano cemetery, Rome’s largest, where he spiritually joined all who, throughout the world in these days, pray on the tombs of their loved ones. In his homily on the Gospel account of the Beatitudes, the Pope said the Beatitudes are “the path of holiness, and the same path of happiness. It is the path Jesus has taken; indeed, Jesus Himself is this path.” (photo: news.va)

Earlier, as he recited the Angelus with the tens of thousands of faithful in St. Peter’s Square on a slendid, springlike November day, hee explained that saints lived their lives in the grace of Baptism, behaving like children of God, trying to imitate Jesus. In fact, the Pope ad libbed “We are all children of God. Thus, we bear his name. His name is part of ours!  Isn’t that marvelous!”

Francis noted that saints are not only those who have been canonized, but can be anyone from our next door neighbors, to members of our own families or others we have met as we live our ordinary lives. “How many good people have we met in our lives; how often do we exclaim: ‘this person is a saint!’… These are the saints who live next door, not the ones who are canonized, but the ones who live with us.” He sytressed that “we must be grateful to these saintly people and to God for having given them to us as examples of how to live and die in fidelity to God and to the Gospel.”

What can one do to become a saint? The Hoy Father surely answered when he said: “Acts of tenderness, of generous help, of closeness can appear insignificant, but in God’s eyes they are eternal, because love and mercy are stronger than death.”

VATICAN ARRESTS TWO PEOPLE, INCLUDING HIGH RANKING MONSIGNOR 

A statement was released today by the Holy See Press Office regarding the arrests over the weekend of two people, including a high ranking monsignor, who have been accused of removing and disseminating private and confidential Vatican documents. By Vatican law, this is an offense.

Following is the English language translation of that statement in Italian by Fr. Tom Rosica, English language assistant to the press office:

“As part of criminal investigations carried out by the Vatican Gendarmerie that have been underway for several months involving the removal and dissementation of news and confidential documents, last Saturday and Sunday two individuals were called in for questioning on the basis of the evidence gathered.

The individuals are an ecclesiastic, Msgr. Lucio Angel Vallegjo Balda and Doctor Francesca Chaouqui, who in the past were respectively secretary and member of COSEA (Commission charged to study and address the organization of Economic-Administrative Structure of the Holy See, established by the Pope in July 2013 and subsequently dissolved after the completion of its mandate).

Following the results of the interrogation the two people were held in detention in view of the continuing investigation. Today the Office of the Promoter of Justice, in the persons of Professor Advocate Gian Piero Milano, Promoter of Justice, and Professor Roberto Zannotti, Assistant Promoter of Justice, has validated the arrest of the above individuals, but they released Dr. Chaouqui, against whom there were no precautionary requirements and also due to the fact that she cooperated with the investigation.

“The position of Msgr. Vallejo Balda remains under consideration of the Office of the Promoter of Justice.

“One should remember that disclosure of information and confidential documents is an offense under the Law no. IX of the State of Vatican City (13 July 2013) Article 10 (art. 116 bis C.P. ).

“As for the books ****announced for publication in the the next few days, let it be clearly stated at this time, as in the past, that such actions are a serious betrayal of trust granted by the Pope and, as to the authors, an operation that takes advantage of a seriously unlawful act unlawful delivery of confidential documents – an operation whose legal implications and possibly penalties are under study by the Office of the Promoter of Justice in view of possible further measures that will, if necessary, involve international cooperation. Publications of this kind do not contribute in any way to establishing clarity and truth, but rather they create confusion and partial and tendentious interpretations. We must absolutely avoid the mistake of thinking that this is a way to help the mission of the Pope.”

**** JFL notes: Two books are due out on November 5 that purport to show, via confidential and private Vatican documents and interviews, growing opposition in the Vatican to Pope Francis’ ongoing reforms in the Roman Curia, as well as allege excesses in spending, especially on residences for some prelates.

One book, “Merchants in the Temple,” is by Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi who, in 2012, penned a book, “His Holiness,” that reproduced confidential letters and memos to and from Benedict XVI and his personal secretary and others that, according to the Vatican, violated the Pope’s right to privacy. He had previously aired these on an Italian television program. It was revealed in May 2012 that the Pope’s personal butler was the author of the thefts and the person who gave the documents to Nuzzi. This eventually led to the affair being called “Vatileaks.” The butler, Paolo Gabriele, was arrested, underwent a trial and was subjected to house arrest, but later pardoned by Pope Benedict.

The second volume is “Avarice: Documents Revealing Wealth, Scandals and Secrets of Francis’ Church.” It was written by Italian journalist Emiliano Fittipaldi who writes for the Italian weekly, L’Espresso, which has previously published leaked Vatican documents, including the letter by 13 cardinals to Francis at the start of the 2015 synod. That was leaked by L’Espresso staffer Sandro Magister but later proven not to be the original letter. Nor were all 13 signatories names correct.

Saturday, May 19, 2012, Holy See Press Office director, Fr. Federico Lombardi released a statement about the publication that morning of additional confidential Vatican documents, the so-calle Vatileaks documents. He said at the time: “The latest publication of documents of the Holy See and private documents of the Holy Father can no longer be considered a questionable – and objectively defamatory – journalistic initiative, but clearly assumes the character of a criminal act.”

The Commission of which the two persons arrested were members, was instituted in July 2013 by Pope Francis and publicly announce a day later: “The Holy Father, by a chirograph dated 18 July, has established a Pontifical Commission for Reference on the Organisation of the economic-administrative structure of the Holy See.

“The Commission will gather information, report to the Holy Father and co-operate with the Council of Cardinals for the study of the organisational and economic problems of the Holy See, in order to draft reforms of the institutions of the Holy See, with the aim of a “simplification and rationalisation of the existing bodies and more careful planning of the economic activities of all the Vatican Administrations.”

ALL SAINTS, ALL SOULS: THE CHILDREN OF GOD IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH – NOVEMBER 1, ALL SAINTS: THE “LAST” FOR THE WORLD, THE “FIRST” FOR GOD – ALL SAINTS, A HOMILY OF THREE IMAGES: DEVASTATION, VICTIMS AND GOD – NOVEMBER 2, FEAST OF ALL SOULS: REMEMBERING THE FORGOTTEN – POPE FRANCIS TO OPEN COLLOQUIUM ON COMPLEMENTARITY OF MAN AND WOMAN IN MARRIAGE

FYI: Pope Francis has released a collection of daily thoughts and meditations in Italian, a 413-page book called “Il Mio Breviario” (“My Breviary”). Published by Mondadori Editori, the book takes material from Pope Francis’s various statements, including homilies, encyclicals, general audiences, and Angelus addresses. (http://popefrancisnewsapp.com/)

ALL SAINTS, ALL SOULS: THE CHILDREN OF GOD IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH

Pope Francis dedicated the last three days to marking the solemnity of All Saints on November 1, the feast of All Souls yesterday, Sunday and celebrating the traditional annual Mass this morning in St. Peter’s Basilica for the deceased cardinals and bishops who died in the past year. A myriad of adjectives could be used to describe Francis’ words over these three days – beautiful, profound, moving, heartfelt – but Saturday’s homily at Verano cemetery stands out as it was not only powerful – it was unscripted!

I posted Vatican Radio’s interesting history of this monumental cemetery on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/joan.lewis.10420)

NOVEMBER 1, ALL SAINTS: THE “LAST” FOR THE WORLD, THE “FIRST” FOR GOD

At noon Saturday, the Pope prayed the Angelus with an enormous crowd of faithful who had gathered in St. Peter’s Square from all parts of Italy and every corner of the globe. He began his reflections by noting that, “the first two days of November are for all of us an intense moment of faith, prayer and reflection on the ‘last things’ of life. … Today we praise God for the countless host of holy men and women of all ages: simple men and women, who sometimes were the ‘last’ for the world, but ‘first” for God. At the same time we already remember our departed loved ones by visiting cemeteries: It is a source of great consolation to think that they are in the company of the Virgin Mary, the apostles, the martyrs and all the saints of Heaven!”

”Today’s Solemnity thus helps us to consider a fundamental truth of the Christian faith that we profess in the Creed: the communion of saints. It is the communion that comes from faith and unites all those who belong to Christ by Baptism. It is a spiritual union that is not broken by death, but continues in the next life. In fact there is an unbreakable bond between us living in this world and those who have crossed the threshold of death. We here on earth, along with those who have entered into eternity, form one great family. Francis commented that, “this reality of communion fills us with joy: it is nice to have so many brothers and sisters in the faith who walk alongside us, supporting us with their help and together we travel the same road toward heaven. And it is comforting to know that we have other brothers and sisters who have already reached heaven ahead of us and who pray for us, so that together in eternity we can contemplate the glorious and merciful face of the Father.”

After reciting the Marian prayer, the Pope noted that, “today’s liturgy speaks of the glory of the heavenly Jerusalem. I invite you to pray that the Holy City, dear to Jews, Christians and Muslims, which in recent days has witnessed diverse tensions, always be a sign and foretaste of the peace which God desires for the whole human family.”

ALL SAINTS, A HOMILY OF THREE IMAGES: DEVASTATION, VICTIMS AND GOD

Saturday afternoon at Verano cemetery, Rome’s largest, Pope Francis celebrated Mass and, in his homily – which was totally unscripted! – spoke of the destruction of creation and also of the world’s refugees and homeless, calling them “the unknown saints.”  Referring to the first reading, he said, “we heard this voice of the Angel who cried aloud to the Four Angels who were given power to damage the land and the sea, ‘Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees’. This brings to mind a phrase that is not here but in everyone’s heart: men are capable of doing this better than you. We are capable of devastating the Earth far better than the Angels. And this is exactly what we are doing, this is what we do: we destroy creation, we devastate lives, we devastate cultures, we devastate values, we ravage hope. How greatly we need the Lord’s strength to seal us with His love and His power to stop this mad race of destruction!” (Photo L’Osservatore Romano)

The Holy Father said, “When I looked at the pictures in the sacristy of 71 years ago [depicting the WWII bombing of the area of San Lorenzo where the cemetery is situated], I thought, ‘This is so grave, so painful. This is nothing in comparison to what is happening today. Man takes possession of everything, believes he is god, believes he is the king. And wars, the wars that continue raging, not exactly helping to sow the seed of life but to destroy. It is an industry of destruction. It is also a system of life, that when things can’t be fixed they are discarded: we discard children, we discard the old, the young are discarded without a job … This devastation that is the result of the culture of waste. We discard people.  This is the image that came to my mind as I listened to the First Reading.”

The second image of this reading, said the Pope, is “this great multitude which no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language … The nations, the people … It’s starting to get cold: these poor people, who have to flee for their lives, their homes, their people, their villages, in the desert … and they live in tents, they feel the cold, without medicine, hungry … because the ‘god-man’ has taken control of Creation, of all that good that God has done for us. But who pays for this party? They do! The young, the poor, those who are discarded! And this is not ancient history: it is happening today. ‘But Father, it is far away …’ It’s here too! Everywhere. It is happening today. I will say more: it seems that these people, these children who are hungry, sick, do not seem to count, it’s as if they were of a different species, as if they were not even human. And this multitude is before God and begs, ‘Please, salvation! Please, peace! Please bread! Please work! Please, children and grandparents! Please, young people with the dignity of being able to work!”  (Photo AFP)

In his extemporaneous homily, Francis went on to say, “Among these are also those who are persecuted for their faith, those ‘robed in white’ in the passage from Revelation: ‘They are the ones who come from great distress, and their robes are made white by the blood of the Lamb’. And today, without exaggeration, today on the Feast of All Saints, I would like us to think of all these, the unknown saints. Sinners like us, worse off than us, destroyed. Of this multitude of people who are in great distress: most of the world is in distress. And the Lord sanctifies this people, sinners like us, but He sanctifies these people in distress”.

”Finally,” said the Holy Father, “there is a third image, ‘God. The first, the devastation; the second, the victims; the third, God. God:’ Beloved, we are God’s children now,’ we heard in the second reading: what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is’, that is: hope. And this is the blessing of the Lord that we still have: hope. Hope He will have pity on His people, mercy on those who are in the great distress and compassion for the destroyers that they will convert. And so, the holiness of the Church goes on: with these people, with us, that we will see God as He is. And what should our attitude be if we want to be part of this multitude walking to the Father, in this world of devastation, in this world of war, in this world of distress? Our attitude, as we heard in the Gospel, is the attitude of the Beatitudes. That path alone will lead us to the encounter with God. That path alone will save us from destruction, from destroying the Earth, creation, morality, history, family, everything. That path alone. But it too will bring us through bad things. It will bring us trouble.

”Persecution,” said Francis as he ended his unscripted homily, “But that path alone will take us forward. And so, these people who are suffering so much today because of the selfishness of destroyers, destroyers of our brothers and sisters, these people struggle onwards with the Beatitudes, hoping to find God, to find themselves face to face with the Lord in the hope of becoming saints, at the moment of our final encounter with Him.”

NOVEMBER 2, FEAST OF ALL SOULS: REMEMBERING THE FORGOTTEN

At the Angelus on Sunday, the Feast of All Souls, Pope Francis asked another huge crowd of faithful in St. Peter’s Square on a splendid November day, to pray for the world’s forgotten dead,  “those whom no one remembers,” the “victims of war and violence; the many “little ones” of the world crushed by hunger and poverty” and “the anonymous who rest in common graves.”

“Yesterday,” said Francis, “we celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints, and today the liturgy invites us to commemorate the faithful departed. These two occurrences are intimately linked to each other, just as joy and tears find a synthesis in Jesus Christ, the foundation of our faith and our hope. … Yesterday and today many people visit cemeteries, which, as the word itself implies, are ‘places of rest’, as we wait for the final awakening. … With this faith we stop – even spiritually – at the graves of our loved ones, those who have loved us and have done good deeds for us. But today we are called to remember everyone, to remember everyone, even those whom no one remembers. We remember the victims of war and violence; the many ‘little ones’ of the world crushed by hunger and poverty. We remember the anonymous who rest in common graves. We remember our brothers and sisters killed because they are Christians; and those who sacrificed their lives to serve others. We especially entrust to the Lord, those who have left over the last year. The Holy Father said that, “Remembering the dead, caring for their graves and prayers of suffrage, are witness of confident hope, rooted in the certainty that death is not the last word on human fate, death is not the last word, because man is destined to a life without limits, which has its roots and its fulfillment in God.”

He then raised this prayer to God:

”God of infinite mercy, we entrust to Your immense goodness all those who have left this world for eternity, where you await all humanity, redeemed by the precious blood of Christ Your Son, who died to save us from our sins.

“Look not Lord, at our poverty, misery and human weaknesses when we present ourselves before You to be judged in happiness or condemned.

”Gaze upon us with pity, born of Your tender heart and help us to walk the path of purification. May none of your children be lost to the eternal fires of hell, where repentance is no more.

”We entrust to You Lord, the souls of our beloved departed, of those who died without the comfort of the Sacraments or who did not have the opportunity to repent, not even at the end of their life.

”May no one fear the encounter with You at the end of their earthly pilgrimage, in the hope of being welcomed within the embrace of your infinite mercy.  May sister death find us in prayerful vigilance, and full of all the good we have done during our existence, be it long or short.

”Lord, may nothing distance us from you on this earth, may everything and everyone support us in our ardent hope to serenely and eternally rest in You. Amen”

Sunday evening at 6, as is traditional on the feast of All Souls, Pope Francis descended into the grottoes beneath the high altar of St Peter’s Basilica to pray before the tombs of his predecessors. There is traditionally a moment of prayer, a Scripture reading and the recitation of the prayer for the dead, after which the Pope pauses in silent prayer before several of the tombs of his predecessors, starting with the tomb of St. Peter. (Photo L’Osservatore Romano)

POPE FRANCIS TO OPEN COLLOQUIUM ON COMPLEMENTARITY OF MAN AND WOMAN IN MARRIAGE

The synod on the family is over but talk about marriage and the family continues in the Vatican. in part as prelude to the October 2015 synod on the family, Part Two. In fact, from November 17 to 19, 2014 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will host a colloquium in Vatican City, in cooperation with the Pontifical Council for the Family, the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, on the “Complementarity of Man and Woman in Marriage.” It is a global, inter-religious meeting featuring representatives from 14 religious traditions and 23 countries. Pope Francis will open the meeting.

Sessions will be opened successively by the leadership of each of the cooperating Vatican offices, followed by the presentations and witness testimonies of leading religious figures and scholars.

Each session will also premiere one of six short films treating men and women and marriage the world over. Each film features a variety of illuminating interviews with young and old, single and married, women and men, lay and religious, from many cultures, continents and religions. Topics range from the beauty of the union between the man and the woman, to the loss of confidence in marital permanence, to the cultural and economic woes that follow upon the disappearance of marriage.

Go to http://www.humanum.it to see the trailer video mentioned above.

CARDINAL WUERL IS GUEST ON “VATICAN INSIDER” – “COR UNUM” SECRETARY TRAVELS TO SYRIA – HALLOWEEN: CHURCH POINTING YOUTH TO SPIRITUAL, AWAY FROM PUMPKINS – ALL SAINTS AND ALL SOULS, ITALIAN-STYLE

Pope Francis’ general prayer intention for November: “That all who suffer loneliness may experience the closeness of God and the support of others.”

His intention for evangelization: “That young seminarians and religious may have wise and well-formed mentors.”

CARDINAL WUERL IS GUEST ON “VATICAN INSIDER”

My guest this weekend on Vatican Insider is Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, D.C. We spoke outside the Paul VI Hall during the morning coffee break on Wednesday during the second and final week of the recent synod on the family. It is fascinating to hear him talk now, given that he spoke during the synod and the synod itself ended two weeks ago and a lot has been said since.

Cardinal Wuerl was on the committee that wrote the Final Report of the synod, a document quite changed from the interim report that had been released on Monday, October 13, two days before we spoke in Rome. Translation issues from Italian to English on that interim report – which was just that, an interim report, a draft, not a final document – caused massive confusion that week on a number of hot button issues (like the pastoral ministry for homosexuals) among synod participants, the media and the faithful around the world.

Yesterday, however, the Vatican released the official English translation of the Final Report (At the synod only the Italian text was considered an official document) . Click here to read that report: http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2014/10/18/0770/03044.html

“COR UNUM” SECRETARY TRAVELS TO SYRIA

A communique published today by the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum” announced that the council secretary, Msgr. Giampietro Dal Toso is on his third and final day in Damascus, Syria where he has been attending the meeting of the assembly of Catholic bishops in Syria. Msgr. Dal Toso also met with various institutions, especially Catholic, that are currently involved in humanitarian aid activities in the country.

Cor Unum, meaning “one heart,” is considered the Pope’s charity arm.

In these meetings, special appreciation was expressed for the commitment of the Holy Father and the Holy See to supporting the Christian communities and the population as a whole, who suffer as a result of the conflict, and for encouraging dialogue and reconciliation among the various parties.

Emphasis was also placed on the important role of Catholic aid organisms that serve and benefit all Syrians. However, said the communique, in the face of an ever-growing need, this assistance will have to be intensified in the future through the generous contribution of the international community.

HALLOWEEN: CHURCH POINTING YOUTH TO SPIRITUAL, AWAY FROM PUMPKINS

ANSA, the Italian news agency, in a report on Halloween and the celebrations of All Saints and All Souls on Saturday and Sunday, notes that, throughout Italy, the Catholic Church has taken pains to organize October 31 events in hopes of drawing youth away from the temptation of carving a pumpkin or attending a Halloween costume party.

Alternative events, said the report, include all-night prayer vigils, Masses, and Christian rock concerts. “It’s OK to have a party if the children want one, but let us not forget All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day,” said the Catholic weekly, “Famiglia Cristiana” (Christian Family).

“This kind of feast…does not belong to our Christian roots,” commented Bishop Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi.

Halloween is not a traditional date on the Italian calendar but has been growing in popularity in recent years, with trick-or-treating becoming more common and pumpkin sales rising. ANSA says that Codacons, a consumer group, reports that some 10 million Italians celebrate Halloween each year, spending an estimated 300 million euros ($420 million). More than a million pumpkins are sold at this time and stores known for Carnevale costumes, now sell masks, costumes and accessories.

One place in Italy has a much longer Halloween history. A small town in the southeastern region of Puglia, Orsara di Puglia, has been celebrating it for the past 1,000 years, says ANSA. According to local historians, the only real difference between the American tradition and the town’s version of Halloween is the date. Halloween, a secular take on All Hallows Eve, the night before All Saints Day, is traditionally celebrated on the night of October 31, but in Orsara di Puglia the pumpkins come out on the evening between November 1 (All Saints Day) and Nov 2 (All Souls Day). Hollowed-out and candle-lit pumpkins are placed outside homes on the evening of All Saints Day to keep away evil spirits and witches. Townsfolks also light huge bonfires in the streets so as to illuminate the path of souls on their way to Purgatory.

Historians have traced Orsara’s tradition back to a short-lived 8th-century incursion by a Germanic people, the Longobards, who in more northern parts supplanted older civilisations and reigned as the Lombards.

ALL SAINTS AND ALL SOULS, ITALIAN-STYLE

The November 1 solemnity of All Saints, and November 2 feast of All Souls were always holidays in the Vatican during the years I worked there and today, November 1, no matter what day of the week it falls on, is always a big holiday in Italy, When I was at the Vatican, John Paul II was Pope and we celebrated his baptismal name day, Karol (Charles), on November 4. That day was always a holiday because the Vatican and Roman Curia always celebrated a Pope’s name day. When the stars aligned and November 1 and 2 fell on a Friday and Saturday and November 4 on Monday, we had a four-day weekend.

Thinking about those years as I did today, the vigil of All Saints Day, I remembered a column I wrote about this holiday the first year I began writing Joan’s Rome.

Art Buchwald, a famous humorist and columnist wrote an annual column for the Washington Post about Thanksgiving. Even if you almost had it memorized from years of reading, you still enjoyed reading it every Thanksgiving. Today I present my (now annual) All Saints column in the hopes that you enjoy it, whether you were a Joan’s Rome fan in 2006 or have recently joined the team!

I have checked some of the prices I quote in this story and have found – no surprise – that most of them have increased, some of them markedly, in the past three years.

Here is that (updated) 2006 column:

As I write this column, there is an almost unreal morning silence outside – unreal for Rome whose chaotic traffic, if nothing else, can cause untenable noise pollution. To enjoy silence, most Romans look forward to Sundays, holidays and the months of July and August when people go away on vacation.

It is so quiet because today is a big holiday in Italy and the Vatican – November 1, the feast of All Saints. The Vatican also observes November 2 – All Souls Day – a commemoration that used to be an Italian holiday but has been removed from the calendar of public holidays. Not that that makes much difference to Italians who use any excuse to create what they call a “ponte,” a bridge to an extra long weekend. If November 1 falls on a Tuesday or Wednesday, for example, Italians will take off the days prior to that date and enjoy a really long “ponte” weekend.

November 1 is such an important day for Italians that many newspapers publish special inserts on how to get to a city’s cemeteries, where to park cars, what shuttle buses are available within cemeteries, etc. Cemetery opening hours – usually longer in the October 29 to November 5 period – are posted, as are the hours and routes of the “C” busses (“C” for <i>cimitero</i> or cemetery). In Rome there are 12 cemeteries and each one has special rules and regulations and opening hours. The larger ones will also have free shuttles buses (because no cars will be allowed) to take people to the graves of loved ones. In Rome’s largest cemetery, Verano, 16 stops have been programmed for these buses.

An estimated one million people are expected to visit Rome’s cemeteries in the weeklong period dedicated to the deceased. The city always makes a concerted effort at this time of year to clean cemeteries of trash, to repair walkways and even headstones and to do some serious gardening. Visitors too will clean tombs, bring fresh flowers and entire families will meet to mourn their dearly departed as well as to celebrate their lives. And then family members will usually all go out for lunch or dinner, sometimes even taking a picnic lunch along (though not for eating in the cemeteries – even though that is what the very first Christians did when they gathered at burial grounds or in the catacombs).

Once a Rome daily even featured a survey on the cost of funerals, saying “there is some meager consolation for those in mourning in the capital of Rome because a funeral there costs the least” of all cities questioned for the survey. I don’t have the figures for 2014 but in recent years average funeral costs ran about 6,000-8,000 Euros ($7,500-10,000, adjusted for inflation), with cremation costing between 3,000-4,000 Euros. These prices are supposed to include a walnut coffin with zinc interior (except for cremation, of course), flowers, the burial and documents. However, say newspapers, the best bargain is still a funeral paid for by the city, as they cost several thousand Euros less.

Churches worldwide usually have Sunday Mass schedules on November 1 as it is a Church precept that Catholics must attend Mass on All Saints Day.

On November 1 it is tradition at the Vatican for Popes to celebrate Mass for the Solemnity of All Saint’s at the Campo Verano cemetery in Rome and, on the following day, November 2, All Souls Day, to lead a prayer service in the Vatican Grottoes for all deceased Popes. That is, in fact, what is on Pope Francis’ agenda this weekend.

And, although these are predominantly religious celebrations, secularism has crept in. Masks and costumes, witches and pumpkins and orange and black color schemes have invaded Italy and those items and colors will be seen throughout the peninsula tonight as revelers celebrate All Hallows Eve.

The price of flowers soars for about a week every year during this season. I learned a very hard lesson about Italian customs on this feast day the first year I was in Rome.

It was the very end of October and I went to a private clinic to visit a friend who had just had serious surgery. I wanted to bring Lina an impressive bouquet of flowers to cheer her up but my budget did not allow for “impressive.” So I did the best I could. I bought about 8 or 10 chrysanthemums – because they were bigger flowers, they seemed more impressive as a bouquet. Surely just the thing to bring a smile to Lina’s face, I thought.

Well, I knew the minute I walked into her hospital room that something was wrong. I saw a strange look on her face (and also on the face of a cousin visiting her, a priest), but never for a minute did I associate it with the flowers. We chatted and visited and faces seemed to brighten up, so I dismissed the first impression I had received that something was wrong.

Only later did I learn that chrysanthemums are viewed by Italians as the flower of the dead and are the flowers that most people bring to place on the graves of their loved ones! Fortunately for me, Lina and Fr. John were wonderful, understanding friends who gently, some time later, told me what bringing chrysanthemums to someone in the hospital just days before the feast of All Saints is just not done! (Actually, Italians seem to frown on flowers in hospitals any time of the year.)

Like other hard-learned lessons in Italy, this was one mistake I never repeated.

My wish for you, my readers, is that you have a blessed and prayerful All Saints Day and All Souls Day.

(P.S. I realized just now that, among the tens of thousands of photos I have taken over the years, I have none of a Halloween theme in Rome!)