Cardinal Betori: Florence awaits Pope Francis with "open heart"

(Vatican Radio) When Pope Francis visits Florence, Italy, on 10 November, it will be a “day of joy.”

The Archbishop of Florence, Cardinal Giuseppe Betori, said on Wednesday the one-day Papal visit is “a gift that the Florentines wait for with an open heart,” adding the city will pay attention to his “teaching and gestures.”

Cardinal Betori was speaking on the sidelines of an event marking the 750th anniversary of the birth of Dante Alighieri.

“It will be a very important day for the Church in Italy, because the focus of the Pope’s visit is a meeting of the ecclesial congress of the Italian Bishop’s Conference,” said the Cardinal.

Cardinal Betori said this is where Pope Francis will bring "his teaching, his exhortation on the Church's journey."