Florence – A very long round of applause at the end of the religious rite, accompanied by hugs and teary eyes. The faithful of the church of the Madonna della Tosse thus paid homage to their parish priest, Don Gherardo Gambelli, created archbishop of Florence by Pope Francis in recent days. Yesterday, for Sunday mass – the first after the important appointment – the parish in via Giovanni Pascoli was packed like never before.
“Today there is a good crowd” observed two elderly parishioners, while a banner was hung at the entrance of the church: “Thanks to our parish priest bishop!”. Don Gherardo, excited and moved by the affection, let the sacred writings speak. “We are all mercenaries called to become good shepherds” he recalled during the homily after reading the Gospel, a passage taken from chapter 10 of John given that the fourth Sunday of Easter time is dedicated to Jesus the ‘good shepherd’. “We must be shepherds of one another because responsibilities help us grow” he explained, recalling that “we become vulnerable when we allow ourselves to be influenced by our fears and distance ourselves from others”.
A sober and direct homily, which reflects the being of the priest from the suburbs, during which he recalled the experiences of life lived on the front line in the years spent in Africa. Attention to the least fortunate was also recalled during the prayers of the faithful: “Even today, those who save migrants from the risks of the sea must justify themselves and risk being punished, like the apostles who healed the sick”. Prayers also addressed to the parish priest and his new ‘adventure’: “For Don Gherardo, called to be the shepherd of a large ‘flock’ and thus to face the difficult task of reconciling love for every person who is part of it with good of the entire community he has to lead”. The profound affection for the parish priest who only arrived in 2023, but who immediately knew how to establish a strong and sincere relationship with the faithful, was reaffirmed by the entire community of the Madonna della Tosse which is now “torn between the joy of the gift of Don Gherardo to the Florentine church and the concern for its future”. And Don Gherardo wanted to cheer them up one by one: “Separations are always painful, here I was loved right from the start” he said, specifying that “the separation was requested by the Lord”. And in any case it will only be a material, physical separation “because we live in faith”. The parish priest, without hiding his strong emotions for the new position, wanted to thank Pope Francis again for his appointment. “The choice did not fall on me but on the church of Florence. The Holy Father has thus confirmed the great esteem towards our church” said the religious who will be ordained bishop and will take possession of the diocese on 24 June during the feast of St. John Baptist. Meanwhile, Don Gherardo will continue to lead the parish so much so that in recent days he has been on a retreat in Assisi with the children who will receive the sacrament of Confirmation in the coming weeks. In short, there is time for greetings: the traditional parish festival falls on May 31st and that will be the opportunity to celebrate Don Gherardo.
Who is Don Gherardo
Pope Francis has chosen a parish priest from the city, Monsignor Gherardo Gambelli, former missionary in Chad and chaplain in prison. A Fiorentina fan, the new pastor assures: «I will always be close to those rejected by society».
Gambelli is 54 years old, born on 23 June 1969 in Viareggio in the province and Archdiocese of Lucca, and was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Florence on 2 June 1996. He has held the following positions and carried out further studies: parish vicar of Santo Stefano in Pane a Rifredi (1996 – 2007); Licentiate in Biblical Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome (2000); administrator of the Parish of Sant’Andrea in Cercina (2000-2006); Doctorate at the Theological Faculty of Central Italy (2007); parish priest in solid moderator of the Immaculate Conception and San Martino in Montughi (2007-2011). From 2011 to 2022 he was a fidei donum priest in Chad where he held the following positions: parish priest of the Sainte Joséphine Bakhita in the Archdiocese of N’Djaména and responsible for vocational pastoral care, teacher in the Saint Luc National Major Seminary of Bakara and chaplain of the prison of N’Djaména (2011 – 2017); member of the College of Consultors of N’Djaména (2013 – 2016); parish priest of the Saint Ignace Cathedral, responsible for youth ministry and prison chaplain in the Apostolic Vicariate of Mongo (2018 – 2022). From 2019 to 2022 he also assumed the role of vicar general. Having returned to Florence, he has been parish priest of the Madonna della Tosse since 2023. He is also the chaplain of the Sollicciano prison.
In Florence the announcement was made by the outgoing archbishop, Betori, in the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. The ordination of the new bishop will take place on June 24th.
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