John Paul II celebrates Mass at Holy Cross Parish on Via Flaminia during Lent, contemplating the Transfiguration as a brief manifestation of Christ’s divinity and the Father’s identification of Jesus as his beloved Son. The faithful are invited to journey with the Apostles toward Jerusalem, entering through fasting and penance into the Passion, Death, and Resurrection.

The Pope connects the near-sacrifice of Isaac with Christ’s definitive sacrifice on the Cross and recalls Abraham as the father of believers. He greets the Stigmatine Fathers and remembers Fr Emilio Recchia and Fr Cornelio Fabro, commends the parish’s participation in the city mission, and urges cooperation among its religious institutes and groups. Holy Cross is to remain a united, welcoming centre for the neighbourhood, especially for immigrants, witnessing to the Gospel amid social change.