Students, residents, and civic and religious authorities remember the Allied air raid of February 10, 1944, which claimed the lives of more than 500 people who had taken refuge inside the papal residence.
Vatican News
“The tragedy of 1944 reminds us what happens when hatred prevails,” said Father Manuel Dorantes, administrative director of the Laudato Si’ Higher Education Center.
“To remember today means stating clearly: war is never a solution.”
Fr Dorantes was speaking at a Peace March in Borgo Laudato Si’, organised within the Gardens of the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo, to commemorate the Allied bombing of 10 February 1944, which claimed the lives of 500 to 700 people taking refuge there.
Fr Dorantes gives his speech
Open doors in times of war
Addressing dozens of students, citizens, and local officials from Castel Gandolfo and the surrounding hill towns, Fr Dorantes recalled the events of 82 years ago, when, during the Second World War, Allied bombs hit shelters housing thousands of displaced civilians.
“These were people looking only for a safe place. They were seeking protection,” Fr Dorantes said. They had been welcomed by Pope Pius XII, yet many “found death instead.”
Dorantes highlighted that the Pope “did not give a speech”. Instead, “he opened doors. He made space available. He saved lives. That is what makes the difference: turning values into concrete action.”
Participants in the Peace March
A future of formation
Today, in the same place, the Borgo Laudato Si’ is taking shape.
“Where shelter was once offered, a future is now being built: faith, education, sustainability, social inclusion,” said Fr Durantes, who was born in Chicago. “It is not just continuity of place, but continuity of meaning. Yesterday life was protected from bombs. Today life is protected from indifference, injustice, and the exploitation of the earth and of people.”
Dorantes noted that 2026 has been proclaimed a jubilee year by Pope Leo XIV to mark the 800th anniversary of the death of Francis of Assisi. “Francis was a young man like many of you: he had dreams and ambitions; he wanted to stand out,” Dorantes said. “He went to war. He witnessed violence. And he understood a fundamental truth: violence does not build the future, but destroys.”
