Pope Francis made his first visit to Venice this Sunday for a series of meetings with prisoners, artists, but also Venetian Catholics. The opportunity to return to several strong themes of his pontificate. Report.
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With our correspondent in Rome, Eric Senanque
“ You have a special place in my heart », Launched the sovereign pontiff to 80 inmates in the Giudecca women’s prison. Francis wanted to start his visit to Venice with this meeting in a prison, an unexpected place that the Holy See chose to install its Biennale pavilion.
In front of these women, very moved, the Pope invited them not to put dignity “ in solitary confinement » and reminded that prison can also be a place of rebirth. A visit which continued with a meeting with artists from the Biennale, during which the Bishop of Rome highlighted the role of art against “ racism, xenophobia, inequality, and ecological imbalance “. Away from the spotlight and the crowds, the Holy See pavilion is one of the most prominent at the prestigious art event inaugurated last week.
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It was then aboard a shuttle going up the canals that the Pope joined 1,500 young people in front of the Basilica of La Salute, built after a vow to the Virgin for liberation from the plague of 1630. Francis notably invited these young people has ” disconnect “, not being a prisoner of their cell phone and reaching out to others. Before praying in front of the relics of Saint Mark, it was in the most famous square in Venice that Francis presided over mass, the final highlight of this visit.
A homily with ecological accents
In front of 10,000 faithful, he delivered a homily with ecological accents, one of his favorite themes. “ Venice is one with the waters on which it sits, and without the care and protection of this natural setting, it might even cease to exist », warned the Sovereign Pontiff shortly before returning to the Vatican.
A statement that resonates with current events, as the city classified as a UNESCO world heritage site has just introduced an entry fee of five euros for day tourists in order to declutter its narrow streets and bridges spanning the canals during the day. greater affluence. For 2024, however, only 29 busy days are affected by this new tax, recalls AFP.
This is the 87-year-old Argentine pontiff’s first trip outside Rome in seven months due to his state of health, a few weeks after an attack of fatigue caused concern during the Easter holidays.
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