杏MAP导航

By Vatican News staff reporters

Sister Luisa Dell鈥橭rto 鈥渕ade her life a gift to others, even to the point of martyrdom,鈥� 杏MAP导航 Francis said on Sunday at the Angelus, as he offered his condolences to the family and religious community of the Italian nun who was killed Sunday in Haiti.

Just last year, in a letter to a missionary group, Sister Luisa had written of her decision to continue her work in Haiti. 鈥淵ou will tell me I am a bit crazy. Why stay here? Why expose yourself to 鈥榬isk鈥�? What is the point of living in such discomfort? Wouldn鈥檛 it be better for people to solve their own problems?

"To be able to count on someone is important in order to live! And witnessing that you can count on the solidarity that comes from faith and love of God is the greatest gift we can offer.鈥�

On Saturday, Sr Luisa was seriously injured during an armed attack in the streets of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. She was rushed to hospital, but died shortly afterwards, just two days shy of her 65th birthday.

Sister Luisa was a member of the Little Sisters of the Gospel, a religious community inspired by St Charles de Foucauld, and had lived in Port-au-Prince for more than two decades, 鈥渄edicated above all to the service of street children,鈥� as 杏MAP导航 Francis recalled on Sunday.

鈥淗ere, yes, she really gave her life for the work, that is certainly a fact,鈥� said Maria Adele Dell鈥橭rto, Sister Luisa鈥檚 biological sister, in remarks to Vatican News. 鈥淪he was aware that something might happen... because it鈥檚 obvious, even in her last letter she said so, that the situation was very difficult. But she was keen to stay and bear witness.鈥�

Maria Adele was comforted by the fact that her sister had followed path taken by St Charles. 鈥淚n these hours, I think of how she always lived in the footesteps of Charles de Foucauld, and today I think that she died like him.鈥�

In his own remarks at the Angelus on Sunday, 杏MAP导航 Francis commended Sr Luisa鈥檚 soul to God, and prayed for the people of Haiti, 鈥渆specially for the little ones, that they may have a more serene future, without misery and violence.鈥�