More from Rome: "Go and do likewise."

Saturday, April 26

• Sister Eugenia Bonetti, M.C., shared her wealth of knowledge and her passion about fighting human trafficking in her talk entitled, "The Strength of Networking: The Prophetic Role of Religious Congregations against Human Trafficking." Sister Eugenia is internationally known for her work. In fact, Inside the Vatican listed her as one of its "Top Ten People in 2007." (Click here to read the story.) Using the parable of the Good Samaritan, Sister challenged us to "Go and do likewise" -- that is, to have compassion for the victims of human trafficking, no matter who or where they are. Borrowing a phrase from Starting Afresh from Christ, she urged us to express our love in a "creativity of charity" toward those who suffer. Sister shared a wealth of resources, which we will be able to share with our provinces.
• This afternoon, we visited Fosse Ardeatine, the site of a mass execution carried out in Rome on March 24, 1944 by Nazi occupation troops during the Second World War. A total of 335 Italians were taken prisoner from the city streets and put to death inside the caves that day. The bodies of the victims were placed in piles and buried under rock debris. Engineers detonated explosives to seal the caves. They were eventually found and given a proper burial in what is now a National Monument and Memorial Cemetery.
• We also toured a portion of the catacombs of St. Callistus, built around the 2nd century, where many martyrs and popes had been buried.