By Melissa Butz
Just like each year, Pope Francis is making a special trip to a cemetery on Nov. 2 to pray for the dead on the Feast of All Souls.
He will go to the Catacombs of Priscilla in Rome, one of the oldest Paleo-Christian cemeteries in Rome. He will celebrate a Mass at 4:00 p.m. in commemoration of all those who have died.
These catacombs contain frescoes of great importance, which give testimony to the first Christians. It holds the oldest representation of Virgin Mary, a fresco from the third century.
“Let’s go home today with this double memory: the memory of the past, of those of us who are gone. And the memory of the future, the path in which we’re going,” said the Holy Father.
In previous years, Pope Francis visited a cemetery for the unborn, the American cemetery of Nettuno, dedicated to soldiers and nurses who died in World War II, as well as other cemeteries in Rome, Verano and Prima Porta.
During the day, the pope will visit the tombs of past popes. On Nov. 4 he will hold a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for all the bishops and cardinals who died throughout the year.