He Pope Francisco This Sunday he presided over a mass before 10,000 faithful in Venice where he warned that with the climate change the city could cease to exist and asked for sustainable tourism management, on his first trip in seven months due to his delicate state of health. Along these lines, he warned: “Venice is united to the waters on which it sits and, Without the care and protection of this natural environment, it could even cease to exist.“.
Aboard a boat that sailed through the Grand Canal by boat, Francis traveled to Venice to visit this city and the pavilion of the Holy See for just five hours at its 60th Art Biennale, becoming the first pontiff to attend this event. .
“If we look at this city of Venice today, we admire its enchanting beauty, but we are also worried about the many problems that threaten it”he stated before the nearly 10,500 faithful who attended the mass.
Authoritarians don’t like this
The practice of professional and critical journalism is a fundamental pillar of democracy. That is why it bothers those who believe they are the owners of the truth.
For Pope Francis, “war is always a defeat where the weapons manufacturers win”
So, named climate change as a threat because “it impacts the waters of the lagoon” on which it is built or “the fragility of the buildings and their cultural assets” and heritage. For this reason, he asked that Venice be “a sign of beauty accessible to all, a land that makes brothers“. In that context, he also denounced “the difficulty of creating an environment tailored to man through a proper tourism management“.
The Pope’s visit coincides with the recent entry into force in Venice of an entry fee of 5 euros ($5.35) for tourists visiting the city for one day, with the aim of protecting this town UNESCO heritage.
Despite his 87 yearsthe Pope showed a good countenance while carrying out a very busy schedule, demonstrating a remarkable recovery after suffering an episode of fatigue during Holy Week, which had generated worry.
For the Pope, prison “can become a place of rebirth”
In the morning the pope landed directly in a helicopter in the courtyard of a cmaple for women located on the island of Giudecca. The prison hosts an exhibition of works of art promoted by the Vatican, within the framework of the 60th Venice Biennale of Contemporary Art.
As Benedict XVI, Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope of the Catholic Church on April 19, 2005.
Francisco took the time to personally greet each of the approximately 80 inmates, as well as administrative and prison staff, along with volunteers. Chiara Parisi, curator of the exhibition, highlighted “the astonishment” and “the hope” of those condemned by this visit.
In this former convent for women, now converted into a prison for inmates with long sentences, the pope stated that “prison is a hard realityand problems such as overcrowding, lack of facilities and resources, and violent incidents generate a lot of suffering.” But he stressed that the prison, “can also become a place of Renaissance“.
“Cheer up, and go ahead! Do not give up“said the pontiff after receiving gifts made by the prisoners.
Far from the spotlight and the crowds, the prison exhibition organized by the Holy See is one of the most notable of the artistic Biennale and offers visitors an immersive and disconcerting experience, in which the works of art coexist with a wire hawthorn
Functions of a necessary State
Likewise, Jorge Bergoglio spoke with the artists who participated in the exhibition, gathered in the prison, and highlighted the role of art in the fight against “racism, xenophobia, inequality and ecological imbalance.”
Pope Francis’ agenda
Before the mass, Francis gave a speech to a group of 1,500 young people in front of Venice’s iconic Santa Maria della Salute basilica, whose majestic dome dominates the entrance to the Grand Canal. “Put away your cell phones and go meet the people!“the Pope asked.
Maela Pellizzato, a 64-year-old Venetian who went to St. Mark’s Square to pray “for peace in the world,” said that the visit is “a fundamental moment” for the city.
After a moment of reflection in St. Mark’s Basilica, the pontiff returned to the Vatican.
The Catholic Church reaffirmed its opposition to sex change, gender identity and surrogacy
It should be noted that Francis is the fourth pope to visit the City of the Doges, after Paul VI (1972), John Paul II (1985) and Benedict XVI (2011). His history is closely linked to that of the papacy. In the 20th century, three patriarchs of Venice became popes.
After this trip, Francisco plans to make two more to northern Italy, to Verona in May and Trieste in July.
The Pope had not traveled since his visit to Marseille, in the south of France, in September 2023. Bronchitis forced him to cancel his trip to Dubai in December due to his health conditionincreasingly fragile.
Although this did not prevent the Vatican from announcing an ambitious papal tour to the ends of Asia and Oceania in Septemberthe longest journey of Jorge Bergoglio’s pontificate, which is presented as an ambitious pastoral and physical challenge.