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 Roman parishioners to attend Pope's daily Mass |
Vatican Radio) It has been confirmed by the Director of the Holy See Press Office that parishioners of Roman parishes will soon be attending Mass with Pope Francis in the Casa Santa Marta. Responding to Italian press reports over Christmas, Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, said beginning in January the Cardinal Vicar of Rome will be informing pastors how to apply to attend the Pope’s daily Mass with a group from their parish - probably about 25 people. In 2013, groups of Vatican employees usually attended the Papal Mass. Father Lombardi said the initiative will allow the people of Rome to interact with their bishop, since the Pope is not able to visit every parish in the diocese.
3 comments:
Romans don't attend Mass any more, except on days like Ash Wednesday in order to get the magic ashes. The Romans hate the Church. Rome May be the city of a thousand churches but they are all empty. I'm not being pessimistic but realistic. The Church is in DIRE straights and wearing rose colored glasses about everything, including a pope who causes confusion, isn't doing anyone any good. Who will be attending Mass in 15 years. Nobody under the age of 45 goes to Mass anymore. If the self destruction going on since the 60's isn't identified as a failure and corrections made there will be nothing left. I know, I know Christ said the gates of hell won't prevail but He didn't say that it might only be a hand full at the end. And the reports about Mass attendance on the rise since Francis is a bunch of nonsense and every body knows it.
There is a great deal of ambivalence and anti-clericalism in Rome and Italy concerning the Church. Much of it has been caused by the political power the Church wheels there and too much of the Church interfering with the state. Pope Francis, though, is touching the hearts of Romans in a way that the previous three popes (not counting John Paul I who could have also done it but wasn't given time) have not done.
I know from my own Italian relatives that their local experience of the Church and her priest is not very pleasant and they are not responsive to the needs of Catholics and have alienated them over the years with their own clericalism, refusing baptism to children, last rites to dying people, etc.
I think Pope Francis knows well the situation in Italy and is trying to remedy it.
I don't know of any particular survey to back up Mass attendance rising in Italy, but there is certainly a major, major increase of Romans and Italians from all over Italy coming to the pope's Masses and audiences and this is backed up.
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