Pope Francis who is known as the champion of the poor has celebrated mass with the cleaners and gardeners of Vatican in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae.
It was a simple celebration to which the Pope invited employees of the garden and cleaning services of the Governorate of Vatican City State. He gave them a brief homily, focused in particular on the Gospel passage of John which recounts the episode of the Jews who wanted to stone Jesus. L'osservatore Romano reported
Concelebrating were Cardinale Raúl Eduardo Vela Chiriboga, Archbishop emeritus of Quito, Ecuador, Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary of the College of Cardinals and of the Congregation for Bishops, Mons. Alfred Xuereb and Mons. Battista Ricca, Director of the Domus.
Also present were sisters of three communities of women religious who work in Vatican City: the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul of the Santa Marta Paediatric Dispensary; the Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary – Ravasco Institute of the Casa San Benedetto, the home for retired apostolic nuncios; and the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple – who come from Krakow – of the Holy Father's private storeroom. L'osservatore Romano reported
