Over 30,000 runners held 42 seconds of silence for Pope Francis before the start of the Rome Marathon on Sunday morning.
The silence — 42 seconds for the 42 kilometers in a marathon — is a sign of closeness toward the ailing, 88-year-old pope, who has been receiving medical treatment at Gemelli Hospital for a month.
“The greatest moment of recollection and silence in history at a shared sporting event will be dedicated to the Holy Father, a great fan of sports and the Rome Marathon,” the race’s press office said. More than 30,000 people from 126 countries have registered for the March 16 race.
The Rome Marathon, in its 30th year, will start close to the Colosseum and the Imperial Forums and will later cross with many of Rome’s most-visited sites, including Piazza Navona and Castel Sant’Angelo. At around the 10th mile of the 26-mile race, runners will go down Via della Conciliazione, the main thoroughfare to St. Peter’s Basilica, and around Bernini’s colonnade outside St. Peter’s Square.
The marathon’s press office described the gesture as a “huge, collective hug” for Pope Francis, who has been hospitalized for bronchitis and double pneumonia since Feb. 14.
“It [was] 42 beautiful seconds, one second for each kilometer of the race, where each participant can dedicate a personal, private, and silent thought and greeting,” a press release said.
In past years, Pope Francis has greeted Rome marathon runners during his Sunday Angelus addresses, praising the race’s commitment to helping others through its simultaneous fun run marathon, which raises money for charities in Rome.
The Rome Marathon is one of the official events of the 2025 Jubilee Year.
This article was originally published on Catholic News Agency.
