Merciful Friday

At approximately 4:00pm local time this afternoon, as a jubilee sign of witness to the works of mercy, the Holy Father paid a visit to the San Carlo community, located near Castelgandalfo.  This community is part of the Italian Centre for Solidarity founded by Don Mario Picchi to revent and to fight against the social exclusion of persons, especially those who suffer from drug addiction.

The significance of this visit was explained by His Excellency, Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization:

Pope Francis does not cease to amaze.  His voyage in Mexico was characterized by a strong and unequalled denunciation of the drug trade.  His words still echo clearly: I am preoccupied with all those who, seduced by the empty worldly power, praise vain or idle fancies and wear their macabre symbols in order to commercialize death ... I beg you not to underestimate the ethical challenge against civilization that drug trafficking represents for the youth and for all of society, including the Church.

A few days after his return from Mexico, the Pope gave a concrete and visible sign of that which he had said in the cathedral in Mexico City: We pastors of the Church cannot take refuge in generic sentences, but we must have prophetic courage and a serious and qualified pastoral plan to contribute, gradually, in order to weave the delicate human network ... Only by beginning with families; drawing close to them and embracing the human and existential peripheries of the deserted areas of our cities; involving the parish communities, schools, community institutions, politicians and security structures - only in this way will be be able to totally be freed from the waters in which unfortunately, so many lives have been lost.  Following the thread that conceptually connects these Fridays of Mercy, the gestures which the Pope extends during the Holy Year by symbolically enacting the Works of Mercy, this time, without any prior notice, Pope Francis appeared unexpectedly at the doors of the San Carlo Therapeutic Community, on the outskirts of Rome.  This community, founded by Don Mario Picchi, welcomes 55 guests who are attempting to overcome their dependence on drugs.

The surprise was total.  No one expected to see Pope Francis and the profound commotion affected everyone.  The Pope desired to stay with the young people; he listened to their stories and made them feel that he was close to every one of them.  He encouraged them not to allow themselves to be devoured by the metastasis of drugs and, embracing them, tried to help them understand that when a journey begins in community, there is a real possibility for starting over, for experiencing a life of dignity and one that is worth living.  With this sign, the Pope desired to place an accent on the necessity for having constant trust in the strength of divine Mercy, which continues to sustain our pilgrimage and which, accompanied even in our darkest hours, helps us to feel the warmth of God's presence as he clothes us with dignity.