A Mosaic of Special Moments: Fratello 2016

As part of our tribute to Pope Francis, and his commitment to the poorest in society, we republish today some reflections written by our colleague, Maria Pia Carena, almost 9 years ago, following a very special trip to Rome.

In November 2016, I went with a group of 18 others to Rome as part of the European Festival of Joy and Mercy. We were a mixed bunch from Glasgow and Leeds, four different organisations, of different religious beliefs including Catholic, Muslim and Protestant. To mark the Jubilee of Mercy Pope Francis invited people living in poverty to Rome from 11 to 13 November. Our group leader, Martin, had successfully applied to take a group to the event and with much needed donations from some amazing and generous individuals and organisations off we set.

A few of us in the group had travelled abroad before, for others it was the thrill of their very first passport. I wasn’t sure what to expect, I was going as Italian interpreter, (my limited French and Spanish came in handy too), helper, dealer of adminny things etc.

On the journey out, various people had questions and anxieties as would normally be expected: food, transport, accommodation, getting on with strangers, what about language especially as folk were coming from all over, being outside your comfort zone, being amongst throngs of people when you’re just not used to that, what’s the event about? Our journey out went smoothly: from 15 of us meeting on an icy Thursday morning, 6.30am under the iconic Central Station clock, to joining up with the 4 lassies from the Leeds’ Poverty Truth Commission. In no time you’d have thought we’d know each other for ages! Very smoothly through Fiumicino airport and met with the very helpful folk from “Fratello” – an association who, in partnership with other organisations, organised and hosted the various events with and for the nearly 6k people taking part in the three-day gathering

Our comfy accommodation, Fraterna Domus, was set in the tranquil, pretty and hilly countryside on the outskirts of Rome. A simple, clean and very welcoming conference centre run by a few nuns and their small band of staff. What patience and energy they had surrounded for those three days by throngs coming at them in waves with all sorts of questions, queries. On that Thursday evening, it felt like the whole of Europe had descended along with us at Fraterna for the event: a cacophony of excited voices, languages, colours, gradually settled into the silence and peace of the night giving way to a sunny, start to the day and 7.15am departure to Rome.

The whole event itself was amazing, purely because of the extraordinary down to earth ordinary people involved. The tears and emotions experienced as the testimonies spoke of their lives – underlying the harsh reality was the commitment and belief in themselves and in and for each other in their tumultuous lives. Most of all how they were enabling their lives and the lives of others. This gave hope and inspiration to all who listened. Many in our group felt a profound empathy with the testimonies. No matter what life throws at you, believe in yourself. Believe that you are someone. Believe that you have it in you to be there for someone else, for others.

When the Pope spoke of the dignity and respect each must have for the other, that in itself had a resounding effect. When the Pope said “I ask forgiveness for all the times that, Christians, in front of a vulnerable person, look the other way, please forgive us” that that touched everyone present in some way was palpable. He repeated this on two occasions: the Friday morning in the Auditorium for the private audience for us and on the Sunday at St Peter’s when speaking to the international community. There are countless ways to help each other, for instance recognising that appearance and smell saps dignity and confidence and can make people turn away, showers facilities and a barber / hairdressing shop were built next to St Peter’s square for the homeless in Rome. The facilities are manned by volunteer barbers, student hairdressers and nuns.

We all have turmoil in our lives at some point, however, hearing the reality of those within our group: how they deal with homelessness; the threat of homeless; where to find the next meal; how to be treated and, even, actually listened to as a human being at the job centre or dwp; the constant fear of sanctions; affording the bus fare to go to a meeting – their reality is why I believe each and every individual in my group to be extraordinarily amazing.

So am I glad I went? Absolutely! The mishmash of humour, savvy, commonsense, helpfulness, ups, downs was the backbone to our trip. The experience of being in Rome, the sightseeing, the street music, the street dancing, (we walked miles!). Seeing folk within our group being invigorated; finding the confidence to communicate with folk irrespective of language; trying out the unknown; coming to terms with something from your past life and moving on; renewed vigor to push against barriers and achieve goals.

On my return, a colleague asked me what was the one thing which stood out about the trip. Tough question! One single thing?......More like a mosaic of special moments…

Maria Pia Carena, Senior Administrator, Faith in Community Scotland