Pope Francis prays in silence before the graves of the unborn

On a visit to Laurentino Cemetery, he paused at the "Garden of Angels," also meeting with a father who has lived through this tragedy. Thoughts to parents who have lost children in the video with the prayer intention for the month of November. "Visit to cemeteries renew our faith in Christ who died, was buried and rose again for our salvation."

Rome (AsiaNews) - Silently praying in the Garden of Angels, the area at Laurentino Cemetery that holds the graves of unborn children due to severe deformity or voluntary abortion.

With this gesture Pope Francis this morning marked the day of the Commemoration of the Dead, before the Mass he concelebrated at what is the third largest cemetery in the Italian capital.

The pope laid a bouquet of white roses in front of the headstone and paused in front of the crosses with the names of the unborn children that parents here want to remember. Francis also met briefly with one of them, Stefano, who was waiting for him in this area of the cemetery.

During the Mass - celebrated in front of about 100 people and presided at the altar by the master of papal ceremonies, Msgr. Diego Ravelli - the pontiff did not deliver a homily today, replacing it with another prolonged moment of silence.

The pope spoke of the drama of parents who see their children die in the video with his prayer intention for this month of November released the other day.

"What can one say to parents who have lost a child? How to console them? - he asks -. There are no words. Think about it: when one spouse loses the other, he or she is a widower or widow. A child who loses a parent is an orphan or orphan. There is a word for it. But for a parent who loses a child, there is no word. It is a pain so great that there is not even a word."

"Words of comfort, at times, are trivial or sentimental and are of no use," Pope Francis continues in this video. "To offer comfort to these parents who have lost a child, one must listen to them, be close to them with love, caring for their pain with responsibility, imitating the way Jesus Christ consoled those who were afflicted. And these parents, sustained by faith, can certainly find comfort in other families who, after suffering such a terrible tragedy, have been reborn in hope."

Pope Francis dedicated a sort prayer to the Day of Commemoration of the Dead read at the end of this morning's celebration. "In visiting the cemetery, the resting place of our deceased brothers and sisters," he said, "we renew our faith in Christ who died, was buried and rose again for our salvation. Even mortal bodies will awaken on the last day, and those who have fallen asleep in the Lord will be associated with Him in triumph over death."

"Comfort those who are in the pain of parting," the pope prayed before the final blessing, "with the certainty that the dead live in You and that even the bodies, entrusted to the earth, will one day be sharers in the Paschal victory of Your Son. You, who on the path of the Church have placed, as a luminous sign, the Blessed Virgin Mary, through her intercession sustain our faith, so that no obstacle may make us deviate from the road that leads to You, who are the glory without end."