Pope's All Saints Angelus

Will visit the tomb of Pope John Paul II as well as other popes.

From Asia News Net Italy:

The new life received in Baptism is not subject to the corruption and power of death. For those who live in Christ, death is the passage from an earthly pilgrimage to the homeland of heaven, where the Father welcomes all his children “of every nation, race, people and language” as we read today in the Book of Revelation (7:9). This is why it is very meaningful and appropriate that after the feast of All Saints, all the faithful who have died are commemorated tomorrow. The “communion of saints” which we profess in the Creed, is a reality which is built down here, but which will be manifested fully when we see God “as he is” (1 Jn 3:2). It is the reality of a family tied by profound links of spiritual solidarity, which unite the faithful who have died to those who are pilgrims in the world. A bond which is mysterious but real, fed by prayer and by participation in the sacrament of the Eucharist. The souls of the faithful meet in the mystical Body of Christ, overcoming the barrier of death, praying for each other, realizing in charity an intimate exchange of gifts. Through this dimension of faith may be understood also the practice of offering prayers of suffrage for the deceased, especially the Eucharistic sacrifice, a memorial of the Easter of Christ, who opened the road to eternal life for believers.

Uniting myself spiritually with those going to cemeteries to pray for their deceased ones, I too will go tomorrow afternoon to ray in the Grotte Vaticane at the tombs of the popes, which crown the sepulchre of the Apostle Peter, and my thoughts will be especially for the beloved John Paul II. Dear friends, the tradition of these days of visiting the tombs of our deceased ones is an occasion to think about the mystery of death without fear, and to cultivate that incessant watchfulness which allows us to face it serenely. The Virgin Mary, the Queen of Saints who we turn to now with filial confidence, will help us in this.