Pope Francis' second day in Portugal started early, at 9:00 a.m., when he went to the 'City of Joy', in the Belém district, where he confessed three young people in the 'Park of Forgiveness'.
He then set off again to his next appointment, a visit to the St Vincent de Paul Parish Social Centre in the Serafina neighbourhood. There he was welcomed with great enthusiasm by the residents who, unable to enter the parish, took to the streets to see the Holy Father up close.
In the parish auditorium, the Pope met with two associations that provide social support services in the Serafina and Liberdade neighbourhoods: 'Ajuda de Berço' and 'Acreditar'. In an initial speech, the parish priest Francisco Crespo thanked Pope Francis for his visit to the parish - "We want to express our deep gratitude for the honour he has reserved for us with his visit. This gesture fills us with great joy and encourages us to do more and better for those who need the support and love of Christ".
Pope Francis' speech focused on the call for unity and concrete action to help those most in need and was marked by an interruption of the scheduled speech and a moment of 'improvisation' at arm's length.
"I would just like to say something that is not written here, but is in the same spirit. It is concreteness. There is no such thing as abstract love, only concrete love. Platonic love is in orbit, not in reality. Concrete love is that which gets its hands dirty. And we can ask ourselves: what is the love I feel like? Is it concrete or abstract? When I hold hands with a needy person, a sick person, an outcast, can I then hold hands with others, without fear of contamination? Am I disgusted by poverty? Am I always looking for a clean, distilled life, one that exists in my fantasy but is not real? How many distilled, useless lives are lived without leaving a mark, because the distilled life has no weight...' he affirmed.
Before leaving the Serafina district, he visited the parish church, where he was able to greet those waiting for him.
Back at the Apostolic Nunciature, he met with Zuhair Alharti, Secretary General of the Centre for International Dialogue (KAICIID), a meeting that once again manifested Pope Francis' constant efforts to promote interreligious dialogue. After this meeting, he had the opportunity to have lunch with some ten young people, marked by a "quiet" and "good-humoured" conversation - according to the participants.
In the afternoon, he met again with some religious leaders, before leaving the Nunciature to participate in the Stations of the Cross, the last central event held on the Hill of Encounter, at the 'Parque Eduardo VII'.
