Pope Francis has paid his respects on Saturday to the “Garden of Angels,” an area in Rome’s third largest cemetery which houses the graves of stillborn and miscarried children.

Pope Francis prayed at the graves of children and of miscarried babies on the feast of All Souls before concelebrating Mass with several hundred mourners.

For All Souls’ Day on Nov. 2, Francis will continue his custom of holding a Mass in a local cemetery to pray for the dead, especially the holy souls in purgatory.

Pope Francis paid his respects on Saturday to the “Garden of Angels,” an area in Rome’s third largest cemetery which houses the graves of stillborn and miscarried children. Francis celebrated All Souls’ Day Mass at the Laurentino cemetery,

The pope laid a bouquet of white roses in front of the headstone and paused in front of the crosses with the names of the unborn children that parents here want to remember. Francis also met briefly with one of them, Stefano, who was waiting for him in this area of the cemetery.

The garden, established in 2012, provides a dedicated space for families grieving the loss of children, including those lost to miscarriage.