On Saturday June 21, Pope Francis will make a pastoral visit to Cassano all'Ionio, in Calabria.
This region in southern Italy is known for its high rate of Mafia criminality. In January, a three-year-old kid was shot to death and burnt.
Pope Francis' pastoral visit will just be a day long, but it's packed with events. ;
His first stop will be the at the jail of Castrovillari, where he'll meet the prison staff, their families and also the inmates.
At noon, he will meet a large group of priests at the cathedral of Cassano, and then he will have lunch with the poor of the region at the John Paul I seminary.
He'll then head to a center for elderly people and the terminally ill. At 16:30 PM, he will preside over a Mass at the so-called 'esplanade of Sibari,' that will mark the end of the visit.
The theme of the trip is 'I come to ask for forgiveness.' Pope Francis wants to apologize for having appointed as General Secretary of the Italian Episcopal Conference Nunzio Galantino, who is also bishop of Cassano. After his appointment ;Msgr. Galantino won't have the same amount for time to his diocese.
PM
RR
JM
-BN
Up: YJA ;
