(February 15, 2010) Pope Benedict XVI visited a shelter for the poor and homeless
in Rome Sunday morning and assured the poor that the Church will never abandon them.
At the Don Luigi di Liegro shelter run by Caritas in Rome, the Holy Father visited
the various facilities, and greeted the medical staff, the volunteers as well as the
poor people who are being served at the shelter. Addressing those sheltered there,
the Holy Father said, "Know that the Church loves you deeply and will not abandon
you, because it recognizes in the countenance of each of you that of Christ." "The
witness of charity, which in this place finds particular realization, belongs to the
mission of the Church together with the proclamation of the Gospel," the Pope said.
He added, "Man does not only need to be fed materially or helped to overcome moments
of difficulty, but also has the necessity of knowing who he is and knowing the truth
about himself, about his dignity." "Many people have thus wanted to rediscover, and
are rediscovering, their dignity, sometimes lost in tragic events, and recover confidence
in themselves and hope in the future,” Pope Benedict said. He encouraged those who
work in the shelter to have before their eyes and heart Jesus' example, who for love
became our servant and loved us 'to the end,' to the cross."