Francis in Ostia - takes everybody by surprise, shows up unannounced and like any other pastor he blesses the homes. He then jokingly apologizes for the inconvenience, reassuring however of having respected the condo's rule of silence.
Imagine on a regular afternoon hearing the doorbell ring, and as you ask who it is, you hear, "it’s the pontiff." Would you believe it? Probably not, yet it happened today in Ostia. On the outskirts of Rome, a "parish priest dressed in white" has been seen ringing the intercoms. In the afternoon, Pope Francis left the Vatican and, as a sign of closeness to the families residing in the area, he decided to bless their homes as the local priest would do every year during Easter time.
The Pontiff wanted to continue further in the month of May "The Fridays of Mercy," signs inspired by the corporal and spiritual works of mercy that engaged him during the Jubilee.
The Vatican's press office announced that two days ago, Fr Plinio Poncina, the parish priest of Stella Maris, one of the six parishes of Ostia, had posted - as usual - a notice on the condo building door, warning the families he would have come by for the usual Easter blessing.
Imagine the surprise today when, instead of the parish priest, the tenants saw Pope Francis ringing the bell.
The Pope "made parish priest" with great simplicity spent some time with the families, and blessed a dozen apartments of the condominium in Piazza Francesco Conteduca 11, presenting each family with a rosary. Joking as he left, he wanted to apologize for the inconvenience, reassuring, however, that he had respected the condo’s rules imposing silence after lunch, as stated on the sign posted at the entrance of the building.
Although belonging to the territory of Rome, Ostia, with its 100,000 inhabitants, is a nucleus of its own, welcoming in its urban context a lively community of faithful, who often live and share some difficult realities, linked to the life in the outskirts of the capital. The church, the parish, and small nearby football field are a point of reference for the community and a landing place for those social and existential realities that often remain on the margins of society.
