The Mayor of Vigevano, Andrea Ceffa, writes to Pope Francis regarding the transfer of the Magdalene Sisters: a heartfelt appeal for the nuns to continue their mission in the place they have called home for 145 years.
Maddalene Sisters, Andrea Ceffa write to Pope Francis
A heartfelt appeal. A letter, addressed to the Pontiff, sent on the morning of Tuesday 30 April 2024, from the municipal building of Vigevano.
The Mayor wrote it Andrea Ceffa who turns to the Vatican, asking for direct intervention from Pope francesco to ensure the permanence of the community of the Magdalene Sisters in the city.
The petition
The Mayor’s request follows a wave of popular supportwith over two thousand signatures collected in a petition which called for the transfer of the nuns to be stopped. Ceffa, with a personal letter, expressed this to the Pontiff the will of the city so that the nuns can continue their mission in the place they have called home for 145 years.
“This request – writes the Mayor in the letter – which comes directly from the hearts of the many citizens that I have the honor of representing, and of whom I act as spokesperson, sharing it firsthand, both as a citizen and as a believer”.
The announcement of the closure of the Convent
The news of the closure of the House of the Magdalene Sisters has profoundly shaken the Vigevano community, which sees in them a spiritual and social point of reference. The Mayor emphasized that the nuns themselves have expressed the desire to remain and continue their work in the social fabric of the city.
Currently, in the institute in Corso Genova, six nuns reside. Despite efforts to find an alternative solution, including meetings with the Mother General Sister Franca Barbieri and the Bishop Monsignor Maurizio Gervasoni, there seems to be no sign of a change in direction.
Now, with the letter addressed to Pope Francis, the Mayor aims to attract the attention of the leadership of the Catholic Church, hoping for an intervention that can keep the Maddalene Sisters in their convent in Vigevano.
