Vatican Radio report: Pope Francis paid a private visit to the tomb of Blessed Pope John Paul II Tuesday evening, the eighth anniversary of whose death was remembered yesterday. Pope Francis, accompanied by Cardinal Angelo Comastri, Archpriest of the Vatican Basilica and his personal secretary, Monsignor Alfred Xuereb, visited the tomb at seven p.m., after the basilica closed to pilgrims.The Pope spent time kneeling in silent prayer at the tomb of Blessed John Paul II in the Chapel of St. Sebastian, but he also paused briefly in prayer at the tombs of Blessed John XXIII and St. Pius X. On Monday, Pope Francis prayed at the tomb of St. Peter, the Church's first pope, in the necropolis beneath the Basilica. His visits to the tombs of former pontiffs and his meeting and repeated telephone conversations with his predecessor, Benedict XVI, are an expression of Pope Francis’ desire for profound spiritual continuity of the Petrine ministry.
SHARED FROM RADIO VATICANA
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