“We Japanese pilgrims in Rome together with the poor”

On the day celebrating the Jubilee of the Poor, a priest from the Diocese of Tokyo reflects on how he included the night-time “tent city” in St. Peter's Square in the Holy Year itinerary with a group of fellow countrymen. ‘An invitation not to judge, but to set out on a journey in our poverty together with others.’

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Today in Rome we celebrate the Jubilee of the Poor on the Sunday in November desired by Pope Francis at the end of the Holy Year of Mercy, to invite the whole Church to rediscover the invitation of Jesus who called them ‘blessed’ and often in the Gospel pointed to some of them as exemplary figures. On this special day, we republish an interesting reflection published in the latest issue of the monthly bulletin of the Archdiocese of Tokyo. It is an account by Fr. Hiroshi Konishi - parish priest of Seta Church in the great Japanese metropolis and diocesan representative for the Synod - inspired by a Jubilee pilgrimage to Rome with a group of Japanese Catholics.

Within a month, I went to Italy twice. Let me tell you about the people I met there.

In September, I travelled with a group of pilgrims. Those were days when we were moved by beautiful landscapes, visited churches in various places to pray, and enjoyed delicious food. But in Rome, there was something else I wanted to show the members of the group. It was the homeless people who spend the night in small tents in a corner of St Peter's Square in the Vatican. Since the time of Pope Francis, part of the square has been left open during the night. The old post office has been converted into showers for these people. Young volunteers take turns every evening to support them. Above all, it is a safe place because there are police officers in charge of security nearby. Sleeping on the streets in Rome means being constantly exposed to danger.

That is why I wanted to show that “tent village” and, with a few people, we left the hotel on foot. The square was shrouded in silence, as if the noise of the day were a lie. Dim lights could be seen in the small tents, each for one person. We walked in silence so as not to disturb anyone. All of us, immersed in silence, thought and prayed for those who spend the night in those tents.

However, a sentence uttered by one of the participants pierced my heart: “The person in my parish who is an expert on social issues would say that these people are not homeless. Because they have a tent”.

I felt disheartened. I was stunned. The very fact that there is a way of thinking that defines homelessness based on the presence or absence of a tent left me speechless. What a rigid and distorted understanding of poverty is this? Not having a home to return to. Not having a place waiting for you to come back to. This is a great sadness. Even if someone has a beautiful home, if they feel they have nowhere to return to, I believe that person is experiencing ‘poverty’ and carrying the cross of sadness. Others should not be allowed to arbitrarily judge a person's life based on whether or not they have a small tent. However, part of the Church in Japan views society with such arrogant judgements. It is a sign of the “poverty” of the soul.

In October, I returned to Rome accompanying Cardinal Kikuchi (the Archbishop of Tokyo, ed.). The reason was the installation ceremony in his titular church. That parish (San Giovanni Leonardi in Torre Maura, ed.) is located on the outskirts of Rome, in a rather poor area. Yet they welcomed us with great warmth. Children, young people, adults, elderly people... everyone rejoiced and welcomed the high prelate who had come from overseas as one of their own. It was a simple welcome, without ostentation. Probably each of them carries the cross of sadness in their lives. Everyone experiences some form of “poverty”. And that is precisely why they welcomed us Japanese, complete strangers. It was truly “a gift”.

After that emotional night, I went with Cardinal Kikuchi to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. It is one of the churches with a Holy Door. It is also the tomb of Pope Francis. At the entrance, we happened to meet a cardinal. He was sitting on a simple chair, not wearing his cardinal's robes, but a shirt with a Roman collar and a small, worn stole. We learned that every Friday afternoon he goes there to give blessings to those who desire them. There are many faithful in the world who avoid the sacrament of reconciliation. There are people who, even though they desire it, cannot receive the Eucharist because of the wounds of their lives. Perhaps it is for these people that the cardinal wants to offer at least the blessing of Jesus.

Those who receive the blessing probably do not know that this man is a cardinal. And certainly the cardinal himself does not present himself for who he is. What happens there is an encounter between Jesus and the person, mediated by the “poverty” that comes from the hardships of life. The cardinal also tries to live this “poverty” with a dignified and clear demeanour. Perhaps living Christ means precisely taking on such an attitude.

During our stay in Rome, a new document from the Pope was published, the apostolic exhortation Dilexi Te, which begins with the words “I love you” (Rev 3:9), linking the previous pontiff and Pope Leo XIV. It is a warning to those who judge the world and the Church with a rigid view of poverty, and at the same time an invitation to everyone to live the “poverty” that comes from the hardships of life.

May each of us walk in “poverty” together with many others.

* Synod representative for the Diocese of Tokyo and parish priest of Seta Church

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