After his visit to Florence and Prato in November 2015, Pope Francis returns to Tuscany for a day-visit this upcoming May.
First the Pope will visit Nomadelfia, a village in the southern province of Grosseto, and then Loppiano, a small town near Figline Valdarno, about half-an-hour drive from Florence.
Rodolfo Cetoloni, bishop of Grosseto, and Francesco Materazzo, former president of the community, will welcome Francis in Nomadelfia, where the Pope will meet the presbyterian community founded by Don Zeno Saltini; in Loppiano, the bishop of Fiesole Mario Meini will introduce the Pope to the Focolare Movement, an international organization promoting the ideals of unity and universal brotherhood started in Loppiano in 1964.
“The announcement gave us the deepest joy: it is a huge honor for the Focolari Movement to have the Pope visiting one of our villages; but most importantly, this visit will push us to practice the love and unity rooted in the gospel,” said Maria Voci, President of the Focolari Movement.
“Now that the news of the visit is spreading amongst members of the movement, our joy and commitment will be shared with the rest of the world.”
In his 2015 visit, the Pope hold mass at the Florence stadium. He also returned to Tuscany in June 2017 to visit the community of Don Milan, the Florentine priest who started a school in the Mugello town of Barbiana (the place Francis visited last year) according to his mission of educating the lower classes.