2010-02-15 14:23:42

Pope visits Rome’s Caritas shelter


(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."







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