Vatican City, Sep 15, 2013 / 10:04 am
Traffic stopped this weekend on the busy Roman streets as police escorts guided 31 coach buses of pilgrims through the narrow city roads.
Close to 3,000 members of one of the oldest charitable organizations in the Church and their families were on pilgrimage to Rome for the Year of Faith.
The Knights and Dames of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem came from around the world to Rome as a witness to "their commitment to the New Evangelization."
Their pilgrimage itinerary included a private audience with Pope Francis on Sept. 14, and a private mass in St. Peter's Basilica on Sept. 15, celebrated by the order's head, Cardinal Edwin O'Brien of Baltimore.