The reason for Pope Francis’ trip to Trieste

In just 3 days, Pope Francis will visit the Italian city of Trieste, a brief trip he will make on the occasion of the 50th Social Week of Catholics in Italy.

This is his third trip within the Italian country in this year 2024 after visiting the cities of Venice and Verona in the past months of April and May.

The Social Week of Catholics in Italy is celebrated from July 3 to 7 under the title “At the heart of democracy: Participating between History and the Future.”

The Holy Father will arrive in this enclave in northwest Italy early in the morning on Sunday, July 7, and there he will meet with ecumenical representatives, a group of migrants, university students and disabled people.

At 10:30 a.m. (local time), the event will conclude with a Holy Mass in the “Plaza de la Unidad”.

During these days, nearly a thousand delegates from the Italian dioceses have traveled to Trieste. The opening ceremony took place yesterday, Wednesday, July 3, led by the President of Italy, Sergio Matarella.

This initiative began in 1907 and was held for the first time in the city of Pistoia, in the region of Tuscany.

This event took place every year until the First World War, and during the week topics such as work, education in schools, the status of women and the family were addressed.

In 1927, the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart played an essential role in its organization, until 1935, when these meetings were suspended.

It was not until the end of the Second World War that they were resumed, although in 1970 it was suspended for 21 years.

In 1991 it was celebrated again in Rome with the theme “Italian Catholics and the new youth of Europe.”

On that occasion, the event included the participation of Saint John Paul II, who stated that “today’s Europe needs to be rethought in the light of its most vital traditions, of the oldest and most authentic expectations of its peoples, which have their roots in faith in Jesus Christ.”

The president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, also participated in the inauguration of this year’s edition, recalling that the Church “is a place where one is passionate about one’s neighbor and, therefore, about dialogue.” .

“The pandemics have made us understand the sense of common belonging, of a community of destiny, of participation in a collective matter. There is no democracy without a we. There is no person without the other,” stated the Italian prelate.