Receiving members of the Facchini di Santa Rosa [Bearers of Saint Rose] Sodality of Viterbo, Pope Francis said, “We need saints like [her], even today: people who do not stay on the sofa in their slippers, but who, burning with an unbridled desire to live and proclaim the Gospel, with their passion become contagious in their holiness.”
During her short life (1233-1251), St. Rose of Viterbo was known for her prayerfulness, aid to the poor, and outspoken support for the Pope against the Holy Roman Emperor, which led to her family’s temporary expulsion from Viterbo.