Pope Francis visited Venice, his first trip since the beginning of the year due to health problems

Pope Francis, 87 years old, began a visit to Venice on Sunday, this being his first trip this year, due to his health. The Sovereign Pontiff met with young people in St. Mark’s Square and visited a women’s prison where he pleaded for dignified conditions for the incarcerated.

This is the first trip made by the sovereign pontiff outside of Rome in the last seven months due to his health, a few weeks after an episode of severe fatigue that caused concern during the Catholic Easter period, informs AFP, taken over by Agerpres.

Arrived by helicopter at 08:00 local time (06:00 GMT) directly in the prison yard on the island of Giudecca, where the Vatican pavilion was set up at the 60th edition of the Venice Biennale of Contemporary Art, the pope Francisc greeted at length, one by one, the volunteers, the members of the administrative staff and the approximately 80 detainees.

In this former convent that houses women serving long sentences, the bishop of Rome, particularly sensitive to the issue of marginalized people and the carceral universe, launched a call for a penitentiary system that would offer inmates “tools and spaces for human, spiritual, cultural and professional”.

“Prison is a harsh reality and problems such as overpopulation, lack of facilities and resources, violent incidents generate so much suffering. But it can also become a place of rebirth (…), where the dignity of women and men is not put in isolation,” said the Vatican leader.

“Courage and go forward! Don’t give up!” said Pope Francis, after receiving gifts of products made by the prisoners, many of whom were visibly moved.

Away from the spotlight and public attention, the Vatican pavilion is considered one of the most prominent of the prestigious Venice Biennale of Contemporary Art and offers visitors a captivating and confusing experience, where works are exhibited alongside barbed wire.

“The Pope acts beyond words”

Chiara Parisi, the curator of the exhibition, emphasized the “astonishment” and “hope” of the detainees towards this visit. “The Pope acts beyond words” moving among them, “people who want to play a role even when they are in a very tough situation,” she declared.

In front of the artists who participated in the creation of the exhibition and some representatives of the cultural sector who gathered in the deconsecrated chapel of the prison, the Holy Father insisted on the role that art plays in the fight against “racism, xenophobia, inequality and ecological imbalance “.

Pope Francis then addressed the young people gathered in front of the emblematic Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, whose majestic dome dominates the southern entrance to the Grand Canal, a short distance from St. Mark’s Square.

After arriving in the famous square by crossing a temporary bridge, the Sovereign Pontiff presided over a service in the presence of numerous political and religious leaders, before leaving Venice in the early afternoon.

After Paul VI (1972), John-Paul II (1985) and Benedict XVI (2011), Francis became the fourth pope to visit the city of Venice, nicknamed the Citadel of the Doges.

The history of Venice is closely related to that of the papacy. In the 20th century, three patriarchs of Venice became popes. The Diocese of Venice is one of the largest in Italy, with 125 parishes. Venice is also one of the few patriarchates of the Latin Church.

What other visits does Pope Francis have scheduled this year?

Pope Francis’ visit takes place over the weekend marked by the introduction of paid access against a €5 fee for day-trippers: in his capacity as a guest, the Sovereign Pontiff was exempted from this fee, but non-resident pilgrims will have to pay it.

After this trip, Pope Francis will make two more trips to northern Italy: to Verona, in May, and to Trieste, in July. Also, the Sovereign Pontiff is expected to participate in the G7 leaders’ summit in June, which will take place in a luxury resort near Bari.

The visits are intended to reassure public opinion about his ability to carry out official papal duties, weeks after concerns about his fatigue during Catholic Easter events.

After his visit to the French city of Marseille in September 2023, Pope Francis did not travel again. Bronchitis forced him to cancel his visit to Dubai in December 2023 for the 28th edition of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), and his increasingly frail general condition prevented him from traveling.

However, in September the Vatican leader is set to undertake the longest foreign trip of his papacy, traveling to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore from September 2-13, Reuters reports. .

Publisher: MI