On November  2, 2017 Pope Francis conducted a mass at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Nettuno, Italy, to coincide with All Souls Day — a Catholic holy day of obligation set aside to remember loved ones who have passed on.   As the first official visit by a Pope to an overseas, American military cemetery, more than 12,000 people came for the event. In addition to the mass, Pope Francis walked through the plot area, placing a white rose on a few, randomly selected headstones.

As a world leader the Pope’s visit underscored the continuing historic significance of America’s overseas cemeteries. And with nearly 11,000 Americans buried or memorialized from World War II within these hallowed grounds, the  site proved to be an appropriate setting for remembering those men and women in uniform we have lost in war.