Papal visit to Florence

(Vatican Radio) Florentines welcomed the Holy Father on Tuesday as he arrived to celebrate the Fifth National Convention of the Italian Catholic Church being hosted by the city.

Vatican Radio’s Luca Collodi spoke to the emeritus Archbishop of Florence, Cardinal Silvano Piovanelli who looks forward to Pope Francis’ forthcoming visit.

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“Our Pope will be very welcome… He makes a good impression: he knows how to reach out to people”.

Cardinal Piovanelli recalled La Pira, a Former Mayor of Florence, who once said “Firenze è Gerusalemme!” Florence is Jeruslaem! The cardinal believes that Florence “can make Christianity sparkle”. He went on to say that “it is the city that ought to kindle the Christian faith… every city has the capacity to welcome faith and to express it”.

Amongst other things, Pope Francis will visit the poor at the soup kitchen of San Francesco Poverino at Piazza della Santissima Annunziata.

In an interview with Alessandro Gisotti, Alessandro Martini, director of Caritas di Firenze, explained how the Pope’s visit to the kitchens would “go down in history… it is an honour and everyone feels very emotional”. “Everyone is excited”, he said; “it gives everyone great joy, young people, the elderly, Italians and foreigners”.

When asked about the social impact of the papal visit on the whole city, Martini said he had many friends who “have been looking forward to this special day, to meet someone who is dear to them, regardless of their faith”.

He went on to describe a normal day at the kitchens, emphasizing the importance of company and conversations shared by the visitors. “It is a place of humanity. Pope Francis will confirm this… demonstrating he is truly one of us, that he shares with us. He is not putting on a show”.