Pope blesses Italian parliamentarians on pilgrimage to St. Thomas More sites

October 19, 2013 - Pope Francis has given his blessing to a group of Italian parliamentarians who on Friday set out on a 3 day pilgrimage to visit sites related to St. Thomas More of London, the 16th century Lord Chancellor of Great Britain whom Pope John Paul II declared patron of statesmen and politicians. Pope Pius XI canonised More in 1935. Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu, Substitute of Vatican Secretariat of State sent a message to the parliamentarians on behalf of Pope Francis saying the Holy Father is encouraging them to live their political commitment as an eminent form of charity in the service of the common good. The Pope also urged prayers for him and his ministry. The pilgrimage is an event of the Year of Faith. In previous years Italian parliamentarians have made pilgrimages to other places such as the Holy Land, Lourdes, Fatima, Santiago di Compostela, Syria and Jordan and in places linked with St. Paul in Turkey. (Source: Vatican)