Pope Francis Shows His Common Touch in Milan Visit
Pope Francis went to the wealthy city of Milan which is known for its fashion and luxury on Saturday, March 25. But instead of making his entry to the grand center with top fashion labels and the La Scala opera house, the pontiff opted to visit the neglected outskirts and stopped over at a public housing project.
Pope Francis maintained his familiar, down-to-earth presence as he stopped at a 10-storey rundown apartment with dirty stairwells, broken mailboxes and defective elevators.
"It is a symbolic choice," parish priest Augusto Bonora said. "The pope wanted to arrive at the heart of Milan by passing first through the outskirts."
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He visited an immigrant Muslim family from Morocco who teaches Arabic in a program hosted by a local church. "It was like having a friend in the house... It is as if we always knew him," said Mihoual Abdel Karim, who arrived in Italy in 1989 and now works at a pharmaceutical company. Also on hand to greet the pope were his wife who wore a veil and eldest daughter who held a tray offering sweets, nuts, dates and milk.
Since his election in 2013, Pope Francis has made reaching out to the downtrodden a hallmark of his papacy and has renounced many of the perks associated with his role as leader of the Catholic Church. He has shunned the luxurious papal apartments in the Vatican in favor of a small suite at a guest house and is driven in a simple car rather than a limousine.
On his way out of the apartment building, Pope Francis startled his entourage when he walked into a portable toilet stall that had been put there for use by the crowd.
"It was a wonderful feeling. This pope is the pope of the people, not a pope of the elite, a pope for everyone," noted Vincenzo Auletta, an ordinary citizen.
Pope Francis concluded his visit with a Eucharistic celebration in Monza, 30 kilometers north of Italy's second largest city. The diocese said one million people gathered at the giant park to hear him celebrate mass accompanied by hymns sung by a choir with 9,000 participants, AFP reported.
