Photo Credit: Vatican News

By Juliana Uzoka

Pope Francis has marked the commemoration of All Souls Day with prayers for the departed at the gravesides of children and unborn babies, known as the Garden of Angels.

At the Roman Laurentino Cemetery, the third largest in Rome, on Saturday, 2 November, the Holy Father offered Mass for the peaceful repose of the deceased. Rather than delivering a homily, he instead he said a passionate prayer imploring God’s mercy for their acceptance into heaven.

According to Vatican News, this was Pope Francis’s second visit to the Laurentino cemetery; his first was in 2018. Earlier, before the liturgy in this year’s celebration, in honor  of the deceased, he placed a bunch of white roses on the stone inscribed “ Garden of Angels,” a section of the cemetery reserved for children and the unborn.

The Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri and approximately 100 worshippers were present to mark the day.  Also in attendance was a young man named Stefano, who lost his daughter, Sara, during early pregnancy, in 2021. He reached out to Pope Francis and handed him a letter.

Similarly, mothers who have lost a young son or daughter gathered under the aegis of “Sparks of Hope” and presented the Pope with a white scarf each, representing a “warm hug” from their deceased children. The choice of the site for this year’s celebration moved the women, who thanked the Pope for his ‘respectful” silence for their loved ones during the Mass. They said, “it’s a testament of affection, a powerful way to be close to our children.”

Before the ceremony ended, Pope Francis offered this prayer for the deceased:” Blessed are you, O God, Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who in Your great mercy have given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (cf. 1 Pt 1:3-4). Listen to the prayer we offer to You for all our loved ones who have left this world. Open the arms of Your mercy and receive them into the glorious assembly of the Holy Jerusalem.

“Comfort those who mourn in sorrow, with the assurance that the dead live in You and that even bodies entrusted to the earth will one day share in the Easter victory of your Son. You, who placed on the Church’s path the Blessed Virgin Mary as radiant sign, sustain our faith through her intercession, so that no obstacle may lead us astray from the path that leads to You, who are the endless glory. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.”

During the week of All Saints and All Soul’s Day, it is a habitual practice for the Holy Father to celebrate Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the eternal rest of the bishops and cardinals who passed away the preceding year.    

Each year, Pope Francis brings attention to various groups honored in tradition of the Catholic Church, extending prayers in memory of all deceased souls.