400 pilgrims left Loreto this morning at 4, together with Archbishop Mons. Dal Cin, for St. Peter's. The long-awaited meeting with the Holy Father for the 400 Loretans who, in the name of the whole city of Loreto, reciprocated the visit of Pope Francis on 25 March last. A moment of great importance, as Archbishop Mons Dal Cin recalled in these days of waiting: "because it recalls the celebration of Holy Mass in the Holy House by a pontiff after 160 years and the signing of the apostolic exhortation to young people Christus Vivit which bears the signature of Loreto ”.
The Pope who, in the audience, continued his reflection on the Beatitudes focused on the second: "Blessed are those who are in tears, for they will be consoled", reflecting on the "interior pain that opens up a relationship with the Lord and with the next one." The Holy Father urged every Christian to accompany with prayer those who live in pain and suffering also with concrete gestures of love and compassion. At the end of the audience, before the singing of the Pater Noster and the final blessing, the Holy Father, in greeting the Italian pilgrims and especially the participants who came from the Holy House, accompanied by Mons.Dal Cin, urged everyone to silence and prayer for "the beloved and tormented Syria" and at the same time for the entire Chinese population who is experiencing the drama of this viral epidemic.
At the end of the audience, the greeting and cordial embrace with Archbishop Msgr. Dal Cin.
After the audience, the pilgrims gathered for the celebration of Holy Mass presided over by Cardinal Angelo Comastri at the Chair of St. Peter in the Basilica. At the beginning of the celebration, Mgr. Dal Cin addressed the Cardinal with a greeting "Your Eminence, we know that Loreto never left his heart. Thanks for this celebration. This moment seals our thanks to the Holy Father, who came to Loreto almost a year ago, on 25 March last. Today we are all here because we have come to see Peter: we have seen him, we have listened to his word which confirms us in the faith. We want to be disciples of Christ in communion with Peter, with the pope, with Pope Francis. And the best way to thank the pope is to assure him of our prayers together with the active will to be builders of unity all together, in working together for the unity of the church which has its visible principle and foundation in Peter ". Cardinal Comastri, in his homily, wanted to recall his strong bond with Loreto, and also that in this year, 2020, two anniversaries are celebrated: the proclamation of the Madonna of Loreto patron saint of aeronauts, and the centenary of the birth of San Giovani Polo II who came to you 5 times. "They must remember" said the cardinal "that the sanctuary of Loreto is the sanctuary of the holy house: here is the significant fact: God wanted the Annunciation to take place not in the temple of Jerusalem, in the official place of prayer, but he wanted it to happen in a house. Because? To make us understand that the home, the family is the first temple of God's presence in the world ”.
Diletta D'Agostini