Pope Francis was very grateful to address the Italian police. Hundreds of them made their way to the Paul VI Audience Hall to hold a warm encounter with him.
Minutes before the Holy Father's arrival, between pieces played by the police band, experiences were shared, many of them sad, like that of the wife of Mariano Romiti, killed at gunpoint by terrorists in 1979.
“He was friendly, so much so that after his death, two men came to my house to express their condolences. They told me, “Your husband arrested us, but he gave us good advice, for us to not do it again, that we were ruining our lives.”
Strong applause was given to the memory of a colleague who lost her parents, her policeman husband and her two children in the earthquakes of August 2016.
“That woman, despite suffering the most unjust punishment... because losing one's parents is extremely sad, grave, but is part of the cycle of life. Losing a husband, a policeman... but I think the worst tragedy is having to bury one's own children, so... we're proud to have this extraordinary woman as our colleague.”
With this, the police chief reminded that beneath the uniform, there are human beings, which is exactly what the pope spoke of. He said the family is where love is learned, where one finds refuge and where one receives the strength to face life's difficulties.
POPE FRANCIS
“The family is a place of kindness. Please, don't ever lose kindness. Kindness is lacking nowadays. It needs to be found, and the family can help us.”
The Holy Father also said that a family's kindness brings one to God, who gives strength to face life's difficulties.
POPE FRANCIS
“Based on this fundamental internal experience, it's possible to resist all of life's disappointments and trials, the world's aggression, infidelity and our defects as well as those of others.”
At the conclusion of his address, the band played a very special piece: “the police prayer,” which topped off this intimate encounter.
