Vatican City, 1 February 2014 (VIS) –
Yesterday, in the Roman basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere,
Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, Almoner of His Holiness, celebrated mass
in memory of Modesta Valenti, an elderly woman without a fixed abode,
who died in 1983 when, after taking ill in Rome's Termini Station,
she was refused transit by ambulance because she was “dirty”.
Every year, on this date, the
Sant'Egidio Community, along with volunteers and associations who
assist the homeless, celebrate Mass in the name of all the poor and
homeless who have lost their lives due to inadequate living
conditions and as a result of their abandonment. The memory of their
names represents a form of consolation for each one and the promise
that they will never be forgotten.
The liturgical celebration was attended
by the poor and their friends; there were five hundred guests at the
lunch held after the celebration. This memorial has been extended to
many parishes in Rome and other cities in Italy and throughout the
world, wherever the Sant'Egidio Community is close to those who live
on the streets.
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