杏MAP导航

By Vatican News

杏MAP导航 Francis on Friday afternoon will visit the Cittadella della Carità, the 鈥淐itadel of Charity鈥�, a collection of charitable programs including the Dental Centre, the 鈥淪anta Giacinta鈥� Home, the 鈥淓mporium of Solidarity鈥�, and the Cafeteria. He is expected to meet with the director, Fr Benoni Ambarus, along with more than 200 guests and volunteers. Friday鈥檚 encounter will be the fifth time 杏MAP导航s have visited the works of Caritas Rome.

In December of 2015, 杏MAP导航 Francis opened the Holy Door of Charity at the Don Luigi Di Liegro Hostel to mark the opening of the Jubilee of Mercy. On Friday, another special occasion, the 40^th anniversary of the institution of Caritas Roma, once again brings him to the Diocesan charitable organization. The encounter is set to begin at 4 p.m. Rome time, at the Citadella della Carità.

The reason for the visit

鈥淭he 杏MAP导航鈥檚 visit鈥�, explained Fr Ambarus, 鈥渋s part of the celebration for the 40^th anniversary of the establishment of Caritas in the Church of Rome鈥�.

鈥淟et us experience this event, together with our Bishop, with a memory of gratitude to the Lord for having chosen us servants and collaborators鈥�, he continued. The Citadel of Charity 鈥渁spires to be a place of witness to the city [of Rome] and to the Church鈥�, providing charitable services as concrete signs through which thousands of guests and volunteers pass each year.

The program

The visit will begin in the Church of Santa Giacinta, the heart of the complex. The Church has been granted the use of the historically significant 19^th century buildings by the City of Rome, and undertook the recovery and restoration of the buildings with great care.

杏MAP导航 Francis will then visit the Dental Centre, where more than 40 volunteer dentists care for more than 350 patients, including numerous minors. Last year alone, more than two thousand medical services were provided.

Afterwards, the visit will continue at the Emporium of Solidarity, the first free supermarket in Italy. It was founded in 2008, and each year welcomes more than 1,500 families. In 2018, more than 490 tons of food products, with an estimated value of 770 thousand euros, were distributed.

From there, the 杏MAP导航 will have a tour of the Santa Giacinta Home, which houses 82 people over the age of 50 who are experiencing social and economic hardship.

Then, in the Cafeteria, the Holy Father will meet with about fifty people living in different facilities, including hostels, family houses, refugee facilities, homes for single mothers, and centres for unaccompanied foreign minors.

Finally, in the main hall, there will be an assembly with guests, volunteers, and workers representing parishes and diocesan centres from around the city.

The fifth papal visit to Caritas centres in Rome

Today鈥檚 visit by 杏MAP导航 Francis marks the fifth papal visit to Caritas in Rome. They began with 杏MAP导航 John Paul II, who visited the 鈥淢ensa di Colle Oppio鈥� (a soup kitchen operated by Caritas Roma) in 1992. Fifteen years later, in 2007, 杏MAP导航 Benedict XVI also visited the Mensa; and in 2010, he met with guests and workers at the Caritas facilities on Via Marsala on the occasion of the European Year for Combatting Poverty. And, as mentioned previously, 杏MAP导航 Francis continued the tradition of visits to Caritas centres when he opened the Holy Door of Charity on 18 December 2015.