Pope Francis to visit with youth, homeless, inmates in Turin

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis will make a two-day apostolic visit to the northern Italian city of Turin, 21-22 June, which will include a moment of prayer before the Shroud of Turin and a visit to the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of St. John Bosco.

The pope’s packed schedule includes visits of other religious institutions and encounters with various groups of people, generally marginalized by society.

Listen to the report by Laura Ieraci:

It is expected to be another early start for Pope Francis on his two-day visit on Sunday to Turin in northern Italy. Leaving Rome on Sunday at 7 a.m., local time, the Pope is expected to arrive in Turin one hour later and set off immediately on a series of encounters.

His first encounter  is expected to be with workers in a city square, where a farmer, a factory worker and a business owner are expected to extend their greetings to the Pope. After addressing the workers, the Pope is expected to walk to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist nearby, where he will spend a few moments in prayer before the Shroud of Turin, revered by many as the burial cloth of Jesus. He is also expected to spend a few moments in prayer before the altar dedicated to a young blessed, born in Turin, Piergiorgio Frassati.

Thousands are then expected to gather for the outdoor papal Mass, after which the Pope is expected to have lunch in the local archbishop’s residence with some inmates from a juvenile detention centre, some immigrants and homeless people, and a family of Roma people.

After lunch, the Pope will spend some private time in prayer at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Consolata, after which he will head to the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of St. John Bosco, who had the Marian basilica built and who founded the communities of Salesian priests and sisters.

The Pope is then expected to meet with those who suffer from illness and disability in the Church of Cottolengo. His last encounter on Sunday is expected to be with thousands of young people in a large city square.

The pace of his second day in Turin is expected be at a bit slower, starting with an ecumenical meeting with some evangelical pastors at the Valdese Temple. After this meeting, expected to last a little more than an hour, the Pope is expected to return to the archbishop’s residence, where he will meet with some of his relatives in private, celebrate a Mass for them and enjoy lunch together with them.

Pope Francis is expected to land at Rome’s Ciampino Airport at 6:30 p.m., Rome time, on Monday.