VENICE – “I am sure that I represent the feelings of all Venetians in welcoming Pope Francis to our region, to Venice. His visit to the Veneto honors us and fills us with joy, taking on a value that goes far beyond the religious aspect which also remains fundamental because those who live in this land, even if they are non-believers or of another faith, cannot fail to grasp the value of a thousand-year-old history and culture linked to Christianity from which our identity, our sense of solidarity and our community strength. Just as even the lay person recognizes the stature of the Pontiff’s personality and finds food for profound reflection in every appeal he makes. This is why we welcome him with open arms.”
Thus the President of the Veneto Region, Luca Zaia, greets the arrival of His Holiness Pope Francis who will be in Venice next Sunday 28 April.
The President continues: “When His Holiness is in Piazza San Marco he will have many Venetians in front of him who have come to meet him. They are the representatives of the over 4 million people who live in this region, which in recent decades has become one of the leading production districts in Europe and the world. A land that has experienced the drama of emigration with the diaspora of entire families but which has achieved widespread well-being with hard work, willpower, in a vision of collaboration and progress. Characteristics inherited from a rural and poor society but which was characterized by charity, simplicity, industriousness, commitment and attention towards others as universally testified by its predecessors, all of peasant origins, who in the last century left the Patriarchate which overlooks the square to be elected to the chair of St. Peter: Pius X, John XXIII and John Paul I, all three of whom rose to the honors of the altars. We are children of that tradition, that of ‘taking care’ as confirmed by the high number of Venetians, at least 1 in 5, involved in social work, personally carrying out voluntary activities”.
“From the Evangelist Mark we inherited the symbol of the Winged Lion which has its highest expression here in Venice and which is scattered throughout the Veneto – concludes the President of the Region Luca Zaia -. That symbol contains a message: ‘Pax Tibi’. According to tradition, it was the greeting to the remains of the Saint who arrived in this land, but it has always also been a wish for Peace. That peace that Pope Francis, in recent years, has never stopped defending and invoking and which the world, today more than ever, proves to need so much. An appeal that I am sure he will also make on Sunday, supported by the will and hopes for peace of us Venetians”.
