After celebrating Mass in Palermo the pope went to the 'Mission of Hope and Charity' supported by Biagio Conte, a layman totally dedicated to the poor. There he had lunch with a group of poor and migrants.
“He's a plumber, a great plumber.”
Pope Francis walked around the tables greeting around 160 people, and ate with them slices of bread with oil, cheese, and rice. For dessert, he had a typical Sicilian dish cannolo, a delicious sweet in the shape of a small tube typical from this Italian region.
“We thank God because He always protects us. We ask Him to always accompany us on the path of life, to guard us, to give us work and joy in our hearts. And much love, Amen.”
After lunch, the pope went to the central place of the visit: the Pino Puglisi neighborhood. First he stopped to visit his parish, Saint Gaetano.
He then visited Pino's house. There he was greeted by this image. The inhabitants of the neighborhood hung white sheets from their balconies, symbols of their popular rejection of the mafia. It was one of the images of the visit to Palermo. The pope first prayed at the exact spot where the priest was assassinated on the morning of September 15, 1993, on his birthday. Today he would be 81.
He then visited Pino's house, now a museum. Fr. Pino Puglisi was known as the kindly priest who challenged the mafia. His social concern and dedication to the youngest in the neighborhood cost him his life. At the end of the visit, Pino Puglisi's brother was among those who greeted the pope.
“Your Holiness, I am the younger brother of Fr. Pino Puglisi and this is my grandson, Francis. ”
The whole of Sicily recognizes the courage of this priest. The early 90's were hard times for Palermo. A year earlier the magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino were assassinated. John Paul II visited Palermo in 1993 to ask for an end to the violence. The Church recognized Pino Puglisi as Blessed in 2013.
