Pope Francis arrived in Venice by helicopter on Sunday. He first visited the women’s prison on the island of Giudecca, where the Vatican organized an exhibition that is part of the Venice Biennale, a prestigious international art show. He spoke to inmates, staff and volunteers at the site. The news was brought by the Reuters agency.
“Prison is a harsh reality and issues such as overcrowding, lack of facilities and resources and violence lead to great suffering. But it can also become a place of moral and material rebirth,” he declared.
He then moved to St. Mark’s Square, where he held mass. During it, he recognized the difficulty of his work. “Please pray for me because this work is not easy,” he told thousands of worshippers.
He then also addressed a group of young Venetians in front of the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, urging them not to spend their lives glued to their smartphones, but to help others. “If we always focus on ourselves, our needs and what we lack, we will always find ourselves back at square one and crying over ourselves with a long face,” he said.
The Pope is planning three more trips to Italy in the next three months. He should visit Verona in May and Trieste in July. He is also expected to attend the Group of Seven (G7) leaders’ summit in Bari in June.
In September, according to Reuters, he is going to go on his longest foreign trip, namely to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore from September 2 to 13.
