The Holy Father, Pope Francis has sent a Message on the occasion of the celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of Roma Capitale. The text of the Message was read this afternoon by His Eminence, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, at the Rome Opera Theatre.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am happy to join you, as Bishop of Rome, at the opening of the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of Roma Capitale which, on the initiative of the Mayor of Rome, the Honourable Virginia Raggi, begin today in the presence of the President of the Republic. Recalling the event of Roma Capitale, on the eve of the Second Vatican Council, Cardinal Montini said: It seemed a collapse; and for the papal territorial dominion it was … But Providence, now we see it well, had arranged things differently, almost dramatically playing in the events (Studi Romani, Anno X, September-October 1962, n. 5, 502-505). The proclamation of Roma Capitale was a providential event, which then provoked controversy and problems. But Rome, Italy and the Church itself changed: a new story began.
In 150 years, Rome has grown and changed so much: from a homogeneous human environment to a multi-ethnic community, in which, alongside the Catholic community, visions of life inspired by other religious beliefs and also by non-religious conceptions of existence coexist (Saint John Paul II, Speech on the Capitol, January 15, 1998: Insegnamenti XXI, 1, 1998, 115). In this matter, the Church has shared the joys and sorrows of the Romans. I would like, almost by way of example, to recall at least three moments of this rich common history.
My thoughts go to the nine months of the Nazi occupation of the city, marked by many pains, between 1943 and 1944. From 16 October 1943, a terrible hunt to deport the Jews developed. It was the Shoah lived in Rome. Then, the Church was a space of asylum for the persecuted: ancient barriers and painful distances fell. From those difficult times, we draw first of all the lesson of the imperishable fraternity between the Catholic Church and the Jewish Community, which I reiterated in my visit to the Tempio Maggiore in Rome. Furthermore, we are also convinced, with humility, that the Church represents a resource of humanity in the city. And Catholics are called to live the life of Rome with passion and responsibility, especially its most painful aspects.
I would also like to recall the years of the Second Vatican Council, from 1962 to 1965, when the city welcomed the Council Fathers, Ecumenical Observers and many others. Rome shone as a universal, Catholic, ecumenical space. It became a universal city of ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue, a city of peace. It was clear how much the city meant for the Church and for the whole world. Because, as the German scholar Theodor Mommsen recalled at the end of the nineteenth century: you are not in Rome without having cosmopolitan purposes (Q. Sella, Discorsi parlamentari raccolti e pubblicati per deliberazione della Camera dei deputati, vol. I, Rome, 1887, 292).
The third moment that I would like to remember is typically diocesan, but it touched the city: the so-called conference on the evils of Rome in February 1974, organized by the then Cardinal Vicar Ugo Poletti. In participatory assemblies, we listened to the expectations of the poor and the suburban population. There, it was universality, but in the sense of the inclusion of peripherals. The city must be everyone's home. It is a responsibility even today: today's suburbs are marked by too many miseries, inhabited by great solitudes and poor in social networks.
There is a written request for inclusion in the life of the poor and of those, immigrants and refugees, who see Rome as a safe haven. Often their eyes, incredibly, see the city with more expectation and hope than we Romans who, because of many daily problems, look at it in a pessimistic way, as if it were destined to decline. No, Rome is a great resource for humanity! Rome is a city of unique beauty! (Celebration of the First Vespers of Mary Most Holy Mother of God, 31 December 2013: Insegnamenti I, 2, 2013, 804). Rome can and must be renewed in the dual sense of openness to the world and the inclusion of all. The Jubilees also stimulate this, and that of 2025 is no longer distant.
We cannot live in Rome with our heads down, each in his circuits and commitments. On this Rome Capital anniversary, we need a common vision. Rome will live its universal vocation, only if it becomes more and more a fraternal city. Yes, a fraternal city! John Paul II, who loved Rome so much, often quoted a Polish poet: If you say Rome, it replies Amor. It is that love that does not make people live for themselves, but for others and with others.
We need to gather around a vision of a fraternal and universal city, which is a dream proposed to the younger generations. This vision is written in the chromosomes of Rome. At the end of his pontificate, Saint Paul VI said: "Rome is unity, and not only that of the Italian people, but heir to the ideal that is typical of civilization as such and as still the center of the Catholic Church, that is, universal" (Angelus, 9 July 1978: Teachings XVI, 1978, 541). Rome will be the promoter of unity and peace in the world, as much as it will be able to build itself as a fraternal city.
Let us celebrate 150 years of Roma Capitale, a long and significant history. Often, the forgetfulness of history is accompanied by the lack of hope for a better tomorrow and resignation in building it. Taking on the memory of the past pushes us to live a common future. Rome will have a future if we share the vision of a fraternal, inclusive city that is open to the world. On the international scene, full of conflict, Rome can be a city of encounter: Rome speaks to the world of brotherhood, harmony and peace, said Paul VI (Angelus, 9 July 1978). With these sentiments and hopes, I offer fervent wishes for the future of the city and its inhabitants.
Rome, Saint John Lateran
3 February 2020
Francis
Testo nella lingua italiana
Message of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the 150th anniversary of Roma Capitale
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am happy to join you, as Bishop of Rome, at the opening of the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of Roma Capitale which, on the initiative of the Mayor of Rome, the Honourable Virginia Raggi, begin today in the presence of the President of the Republic. Recalling the event of Roma Capitale, on the eve of the Second Vatican Council, Cardinal Montini said: It seemed a collapse; and for the papal territorial dominion it was … But Providence, now we see it well, had arranged things differently, almost dramatically playing in the events (Studi Romani, Anno X, September-October 1962, n. 5, 502-505). The proclamation of Roma Capitale was a providential event, which then provoked controversy and problems. But Rome, Italy and the Church itself changed: a new story began.
In 150 years, Rome has grown and changed so much: from a homogeneous human environment to a multi-ethnic community, in which, alongside the Catholic community, visions of life inspired by other religious beliefs and also by non-religious conceptions of existence coexist (Saint John Paul II, Speech on the Capitol, January 15, 1998: Insegnamenti XXI, 1, 1998, 115). In this matter, the Church has shared the joys and sorrows of the Romans. I would like, almost by way of example, to recall at least three moments of this rich common history.
My thoughts go to the nine months of the Nazi occupation of the city, marked by many pains, between 1943 and 1944. From 16 October 1943, a terrible hunt to deport the Jews developed. It was the Shoah lived in Rome. Then, the Church was a space of asylum for the persecuted: ancient barriers and painful distances fell. From those difficult times, we draw first of all the lesson of the imperishable fraternity between the Catholic Church and the Jewish Community, which I reiterated in my visit to the Tempio Maggiore in Rome. Furthermore, we are also convinced, with humility, that the Church represents a resource of humanity in the city. And Catholics are called to live the life of Rome with passion and responsibility, especially its most painful aspects.
I would also like to recall the years of the Second Vatican Council, from 1962 to 1965, when the city welcomed the Council Fathers, Ecumenical Observers and many others. Rome shone as a universal, Catholic, ecumenical space. It became a universal city of ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue, a city of peace. It was clear how much the city meant for the Church and for the whole world. Because, as the German scholar Theodor Mommsen recalled at the end of the nineteenth century: you are not in Rome without having cosmopolitan purposes (Q. Sella, Discorsi parlamentari raccolti e pubblicati per deliberazione della Camera dei deputati, vol. I, Rome, 1887, 292).
The third moment that I would like to remember is typically diocesan, but it touched the city: the so-called conference on the evils of Rome in February 1974, organized by the then Cardinal Vicar Ugo Poletti. In participatory assemblies, we listened to the expectations of the poor and the suburban population. There, it was universality, but in the sense of the inclusion of peripherals. The city must be everyone's home. It is a responsibility even today: today's suburbs are marked by too many miseries, inhabited by great solitudes and poor in social networks.
There is a written request for inclusion in the life of the poor and of those, immigrants and refugees, who see Rome as a safe haven. Often their eyes, incredibly, see the city with more expectation and hope than we Romans who, because of many daily problems, look at it in a pessimistic way, as if it were destined to decline. No, Rome is a great resource for humanity! Rome is a city of unique beauty! (Celebration of the First Vespers of Mary Most Holy Mother of God, 31 December 2013: Insegnamenti I, 2, 2013, 804). Rome can and must be renewed in the dual sense of openness to the world and the inclusion of all. The Jubilees also stimulate this, and that of 2025 is no longer distant.
We cannot live in Rome with our heads down, each in his circuits and commitments. On this Rome Capital anniversary, we need a common vision. Rome will live its universal vocation, only if it becomes more and more a fraternal city. Yes, a fraternal city! John Paul II, who loved Rome so much, often quoted a Polish poet: If you say Rome, it replies Amor. It is that love that does not make people live for themselves, but for others and with others.
We need to gather around a vision of a fraternal and universal city, which is a dream proposed to the younger generations. This vision is written in the chromosomes of Rome. At the end of his pontificate, Saint Paul VI said: "Rome is unity, and not only that of the Italian people, but heir to the ideal that is typical of civilization as such and as still the center of the Catholic Church, that is, universal" (Angelus, 9 July 1978: Teachings XVI, 1978, 541). Rome will be the promoter of unity and peace in the world, as much as it will be able to build itself as a fraternal city.
Let us celebrate 150 years of Roma Capitale, a long and significant history. Often, the forgetfulness of history is accompanied by the lack of hope for a better tomorrow and resignation in building it. Taking on the memory of the past pushes us to live a common future. Rome will have a future if we share the vision of a fraternal, inclusive city that is open to the world. On the international scene, full of conflict, Rome can be a city of encounter: Rome speaks to the world of brotherhood, harmony and peace, said Paul VI (Angelus, 9 July 1978). With these sentiments and hopes, I offer fervent wishes for the future of the city and its inhabitants.
Rome, Saint John Lateran
3 February 2020
Francis
Testo nella lingua italiana
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