(ANS - Rome)- The great emotion felt at the Pope's visit to the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians and his attitude of closeness to the Salesian Family left an impression on the Rector Major and he has decided to share his reflections on his Facebook page. "I cannot let this moment pass as if nothing had happened. Let me tell you briefly what we experienced”.

The Rector Major began: "My dear friends, we enjoyed a historic day in Valdocco with the Pope's visit to the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Turin". He then said how much he was impressed by the personal attention given by the pope to all those present in the Basilica: "He stopped, listened and responded. The Basilica was packed with people so you can imagine how long all this took. But he did not mind!"

Even more touching was the personal greeting given by the Pope to the Salesians and Daughters of Mary Help of Christians who were in wheelchairs. "These were men and women who had donated their whole lives and who now find themselves living in infirmity or at the end of their lives, but still living lives full of meaning and fulfilment. With them, his eyes were full of tenderness, the eyes of a Shepherd who fully appreciated their self-giving".

Then, after the silent prayer before the casket of Don Bosco ("a nice gesture, full of meaning and symbolism") and the greeting given by Fr Á.F. Artime on behalf of the whole Salesian Family, came the off-the-cuff address of the Pope in which he expressed his desire to really get in communion with all those present. The Rector Major says: "They handed him the script of his official message, he looked at it for ten seconds, thought for a moment, and immediately said: 'That’s too formal ...' (...) and he began to speak in a personal, spontaneous manner. He spoke from the heart and to the hearts of his listeners".

Fr Á.F. Artime summed it up as follows: "He captivated us. He talked for over half an hour with real affection and with his gaze the Pope held us all in an embrace. (...) It was a meeting with a Pastor who shows, with his way of acting, what he himself has called 'having the smell of the sheep'."

Later, reflecting on the Pope's visit, the Rector Major concluded by saying that it was "a message of the Lord Jesus and Don Bosco, from the Pope who wants the Salesian Family to be alive in the Church and dedicated more than ever to young people and especially the poorest among them."

To record these moments, the text of the Pope’s off-the cuff speech is available in three languages ​​- Italian, English and Spanish - on the website sdb.org

Published 29/06/2015