Circa 5,500 faithful attended today’s mass presided over by the Pope this morning in St. Peter’s Basilica for the Patron Saints of RomePeter and Paul. Over 200 priests concelebrated. “Today we unite and pray together with the Pope at the Tomb of St. Peter. The Holy Father’s moment of recollection at the end of the solemn Eucharistic Celebration for the blessing of the Pallia was strong and significant. We unite with him on this very solemn day,” explains Father Enzo Fortunato, Director of Communications for the Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican.
“Authority is a service, and an authority that is not service is dictatorship,” the Pope emphasized, off the cuff, during the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square at the end of the Mass.
The Pope then greeted the Romans: “I greet the Romans in a special way. Today I would like my greeting to reach all the inhabitants of Rome, absolutely all of them. Together with my prayer for families, especially those who are struggling the most, for the elderly, for those who are most alone, the sick, the prisoners, and all those who for various reasons are in difficulty”. The Pope wishes everyone “to have the experience of Peter and Paul: the love of Jesus Christ saves life and pushes us to give it with joy and generosity”. He then thanks the Pro Loco d’Italia for the flower arrangements: “Thank you very much, I can see them from here, they are beautiful”.
