Pope Francis paid a surprise visit to several families living in two social buildings in Ostia, Italy, including a family of Orthodox Romanians, according to Il Messaggero, reports local News.ro.

His Holiness went to bless the homes, celebrating the Friday of Mercy.

He just rang the doorbells, waiting for the people to open the doors. It was a big surprise for those who received the Pope’s visit.

Pope Francis talked to the people, asking them about their everyday lives. As a joke, he also apologized for the trouble, saying that he had respected the silence program displayed at the entrance to the building.

Pope Francis is expected to visit Romania in 2018. He received official invitations from the Romanian Presidency and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

Earlier this month, Ioan Robu, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bucharest, said that “it’s almost certain” that His Holiness will come to Romania next year. If he decides to come to Romania, Pope Francis would be the second pontiff to visit the country after Pope John Paul II’s visit in May 1999.

Pope Francis officially invited to Blaj, the center of Greek-Catholicism in Romania

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com