Near Campo de’ Fiori, in the Via dei Giubbonari, you see a plaque recounting that Bl. Pope Pius IX, strolling about in the City – as he often did – ran into a priest bringing Viaticum to a dying man. The Pope went with him and was at the dying man’s bedside and himself gave the man last rites.
On 28 March 1851
Pope Pius IX
meeting by chance the Viaticum
followed along.
He crossed this threshold
and the Family of Vincent Cacace
was visited and blessed by the Savior of the World
and by His Vicar on Earth.
Bl. Pius IX was a member of the Archconfraternity founded at Most Holy Trinity of the Pilgrims and Convalescents. So am I. He was the last Pope ever to visit the church. Pius himself came to wash the feet of pilgrims, which is one of the works of the Archconfraternity. The Parish still preserves the gremial or apron that Pius uses when he washed feet. I like to think that the day he met that priest with Viaticum, he was coming from Ss. Trinità which is quite near.
Here is a shoe of Pius IX which was acquired by The Parish™. The World’s Best Sacristan™ called today and sent photos. Popes had several kinds of shoes or slippers, silk for liturgy, velvet for the Apostolic Palace, and leather for walking about outside.
This is the type of shoe Pius IX would have been wearing when he met with that priest bringing Viaticum.
An Italian noble, when Pius died, asked the Secretary of State for some memento relic of him. It came with authentication paper from the Secretary of State at the time of Pius’ death.
The Parish™ will want to do some restoration and perhaps also a more fitting was to display it.
I invite anyone who would like to participate to contact me using this form HERE. The names of those send a contribution with be recorded on a special letter to be placed together with the authentication papers permanently.
Speaking of a Pius Pope…
Cardinal Pacelli Elected Pope (1939) pic.twitter.com/nzjAk1rbE8
— Daily Pope Pius XII (@dailypapapioxii) March 4, 2026
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