TARANTO – – «All our challenges are not unknown to us. Complicated challenges of health and work, in a panorama of an increasingly smaller world torn by war. We know well what Taranto’s needs and emergencies are.” The archbishop of Taranto Ciro Minieri said this, mentioning the ex Ilva affair, on the occasion of the ‘u pregge’ (the privilege) ceremony with the symbolic delivery of the statue of the patron saint San Cataldo to the mayor Rinaldo Melucci before the procession at sea.
«Today – he added, addressing the mayor – we give you the image of the Saint for the celebration, my wish as well as my prayer is that Saint Cataldo heals only one wound, the deepest one, on whose care and healing depends much of our progress. Through Cataldo’s intercession I would like us to rediscover ourselves as brothers and sisters, to pacify the souls of a fragmented and divided community, often incapable of protecting itself and poorly trained in loving each other.” The program of celebrations includes the procession at sea in the evening and on Friday, the day of San Cataldo, the procession on land with the involvement of the brotherhoods of the Archdiocese.
«Referring again to the Gospel, there is – added the archbishop – the example of the coming of the master who swoops in when we least notice it like a thief who comes to break into the house. It is clear that the Lord is not a thief. The real thieves are the servants whose dishonesty lies in their sleeping hearts that do not allow themselves to be questioned and formed by the Word of God. Saint Cataldo ensure that it doesn’t happen like this to us.”
Today’s celebration – concluded Mgr. Miniero – teach us to rejoice in the joys of others, overcoming selfishness and careerism, because a community is only such if it is open to all, inclusive and responsible. Let this be the case for Taranto and let the celebration be an opportunity to meet because in the sign of Christ we are called to find ourselves as communities happy to belong to this city, this land and this sea.”
