To Circolo San Pietro:
Charity is also a means
of new evagnelization
In his annual meeting today with a delegation from the Rome-based Circolo San Pietro, Pope Benedict XVI thanked them for their service and traditional support of the Pope’s own charitable initiatives.
“Dear friends,” said Pope Benedict, “today as yesterday, gospel witness through acts of charity touches the hearts of men in a particular way: the New Evangelization, especially in a cosmopolitan city like Rome, requires great openness of spirit and wise willingness to help all those in need.”
The Circolo San Pietro was founded in Rome in 1869 by young men from the families of Roman nobility as a sign of fidelity to the Pope, pledged to defend him against anti-clerical attacks during a difficult moment in the history of the papacy.
Over the years, they have become a charitable organization serving Romans in need through soup kitchens, clothing aid, housing for indigent female university students and for parents whose children are under longterm care at the Bambino Gesu hospital, and a hospice for the terminally ill. They also provide international aid for the care of abandoned children and for seminarians who require financial support.
One of its most important missions continues to be that of feeding the hungry: today the Circle serves 50,000 meals every year in three kitchens located in different areas of the city.
They provide an Honor Guard that takes part in the Pope's liturgical ceremonies, and last year, they gifted Benedict XVI with his own personal staff with a distinctive design. Before that, the Holy Father used the contemporary Crucifix-topped staff used by Paul VI and John Paul II, then shifted to the lighter Cross-topped staff of Pius IX, before he got the new staff.
The Circolo was assigned its own Church, Santa Maria della Pieta near the Colosseum. The members are also active in promoting correct liturgical worship.