Pope Francis prays for a homeless man from Nigeria, who died a few meters from St. Peter’s Square, and reminds journalists of his task of giving direct witness to the truth.
By Devin Watkins
After praying the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Francis stopped for a moment to pray for Edwin, a Nigerian homeless man left to die alone on a cold Rome night.
“On January 20, just a few meters from St. Peter’s Square, a Nigerian homeless man named Edwin was found freezing,” said the Pope. “Their situation is similar to that of many other homeless people who recently died in Rome in the same dramatic circumstances.”
The Pope then invited everyone to pray for Edwin and paused for a few seconds in prayer.
He said Edwin, 46, was ignored by everyone.
“He was abandoned by us too,” said Pope Francis. “Let’s pray for him.”
The Pope then recalled a story of the papacy of St. Gregory the Great. When he witnessed the death of a beggar in the cold, the 6º century Pope ordered all masses to be suspended for an entire day, “because it was like Good Friday”.
Journalists and witnesses
Pope Francis also recalled that Sunday is the feast of Saint Francis de Sales, patron of journalists.
He referred to his message for World Communications Day 2021, which was released Saturday, with the title “Come and see”.
He said it is an invitation for everyone to communicate by meeting others where and how they are.
“I urge all journalists and communicators to go and see, even if there is no one who wants to go, and witness the truth,” he said.
Pray for Christian unity
Separately, the Pope recalled the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which will be celebrated on Monday with Vespers in St. Paul’s Basilica Outside the Walls.
“I invite you all to join us in prayer spiritually,” he asked.