It is the great day of the entrance of Monsignor Gianpiero Palmieri into the diocese of San Benedetto. Everything is ready, on the coast but also in the valley, to welcome the new bishop, who will take the place of Carlo Bresciani, officially ‘retired’ from today for having reached the age of 75. Palmieri, however, will also remain ‘pastor’ of Ascoli, where he took over three years ago, and therefore will find himself managing two different realities. Palmieri will officially enter the diocese of San Benedetto this evening, with a solemn ceremony that will mark a significant moment for the entire community. For the occasion, a carefully organized program is planned to respond to the bishop’s desire to visit the People of God in their places of life. It will begin in the afternoon, at 4 pm, with the meeting with the young people in Centobuchi di Monteprandone. Bishop Palmieri will begin his day at the Parco della Conoscenza, where he will meet the young people of the diocese and the Parish Pastoral Unit. Monteprandone, on the border with the diocese of Ascoli, will be the bishop’s first point of contact with his new community. At 5:30 p.m., a visit to the Biancazzurro di San Benedetto is scheduled, where Monsignor Palmieri will meet the associations and movements that support vulnerable people, including the Office of Pastoral Health, Unitalsi and the diocesan Caritas. At 6:30 p.m., His Excellency will move to the port, to the Riva Malfizia dock, for a meeting with the civil and military authorities, as well as with the port workers. Finally, at 7:30 p.m. the entrance rite and celebration in the cathedral. To allow everyone to participate, all evening celebrations today will be suspended. The celebration can also be followed from Piazza Nardone, where a large screen will be installed that will allow you to follow everything. In addition, the event will be broadcast live, from 7:30 p.m., on Vera TV (channel 11 for the Marche region). A great moment, today, which will therefore mark a fundamental stage for the future of the diocesan community of San Benedetto and, in part, also of the Ascoli community, with the two entities that will be called to collaborate. Monsignor Palmieri himself, when he was charged by Pope Francis to follow both dioceses, said he was enthusiastic about this task that had been assigned to him and had already invited the faithful of the two entities to work together to travel a common path.
Matteo Porfiri
