As the third stage of his pastoral visit to the parishes of his diocese, the Holy Father traveled this second Sunday of Lent to the Parish of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ, entrusted to the Priests of the Sacred Heart since 1948.
Quarticciolo, a neighborhood located on the eastern outskirts of Rome, is home to the Parish of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ, led by the Priests of the Sacred Heart (Dehonians) since 1948. This Sunday, March 1, 2026, the parochial community welcomed the Holy Father in his capacity as Bishop of Rome. Following Pope John XXIII in 1963 and Pope John Paul II in 1980, it was Pope Leo XIV’s turn to visit this parish which, as he himself pointed out, is situated in “a certainly difficult neighborhood, but one full of hope.”
A peripheral parish facing its challenges
In an interview with Vatican News, Father Daniele Canali, SCJ (49), a Priest of the Sacred Heart and pastor of the parish, gave a candid presentation of the geographical and social context of this periphery where Pope Leo XIV brought a message of encouragement and hope:
“In recent years,” he recounts, “I have been a direct witness to the progressive decline of this neighborhood, long abandoned by institutions. In 2014, when I arrived as a parochial vicar, we already saw the first signs of what—with the Covid-19 pandemic—has become blatant: shops closing, families leaving the neighborhood without being replaced by younger ones. Even the ‘Azzurra 7’ swimming pool, which once drew people from outside the area, has been abandoned for years. Prostitution is rampant along Palmiro Togliatti Boulevard, while a local drug trafficking network is very active. Some parishioners have been assaulted, and I myself have been a victim of assault twice. We must keep the parish doors closed for fear of theft, and there have been times when our processions through the streets were targeted by spitting.”
A message of encouragement from the Bishop of Rome
As part of his program of grassroots pastoral care, the Holy Father plans to visit five of the some 330 parishes in the Diocese of Rome before Easter. The Dehonian parish of Quarticciolo thus marks the third station of this tour by the Successor of Saint Peter.
Aware of the contextual challenges facing the community, the Pope brought a message of encouragement and hope, not only during the discussions he held with the pastoral council and various parish groups but also in his homily:
“I am very happy to learn that this parish community is alive and dynamic and that, despite the serious problems of the local area, it bears courageous witness to the Gospel. (…) I encourage you: continue on this path of openness to the territory and of healing its wounds. I hope that others will join you to be here, in Quarticciolo, the leaven of good and justice.”
Thanksgiving of the parochial community
At the end of the celebration, the joy of the Quarticciolo community was expressed through the grateful words of Father Daniele Canali: “We thank the Holy Father for his presence, a sign of the deep proximity of our bishop to the peripheral neighborhoods (…) Your visit shows us that we are loved.” This love was manifested on-site through an exchange of gifts: while the parish offered an icon to its Bishop, he in turn left a chalice to the parish for the Eucharistic celebration.
The Dehonian community of the Parish of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the eastern outskirts of Rome, is composed of three members: Father Daniele Canali, SCJ (present for 12 years and pastor since 2022), Father Stefano Sardini, SCJ, and Father Dino Cusmai, SCJ.
