Adnkronos Rome, April 23 (Adnkronos) – "'My people are poor and I am one of them,' he said one day, explaining his decision to live in a simple apartment outside the Apostolic Palace. He was a pastor among his people, a pilgrim of peace and a witness of mercy. His pontificate has come to an end just as it began: with the faithful, with prayer and with the invitation to always nourish hope".
This was stated by the President of the Chamber, Lorenzo Fontana, on the occasion of the commemoration of Pope Francis in front of the joint Chambers.
"In the 12 years of his pontificate, marked worldwide by a climate of tension, conflict and uncertainty, the Holy Father - Fontana continued - has spent himself without reserve to instill trust and comfort in the hearts of all. Faced with the horrors and devastation of war, he has never stopped launching vibrant appeals in favor of peace. His tireless vocation for dialogue has led him where no other Pontiff had ever gone. Francis was, in fact, the first Pope to participate in a G7 summit, to meet a Patriarch of Moscow, to travel to Iraq. Personally, I will never forget his voice when he telephoned me on the occasion of my election as President of the Chamber, nor when he welcomed me to the Vatican. We will miss Pope Francis".