Pope blesses houses in Ostia

(ANSA) - Rome, May 19 - Pope Francis on Friday blessed homes in Ostia, on the Roman coast, as a sign of "closeness" to those living on Rome's outskirts in a new initiative, continuing the Fridays of Mercy he inaugurated during the Holy Year Jubilee of Mercy, the Vatican said. The Vatican likened it to the regular pre-Easter blessings of homes carried out by parish priests.