Pope Francis arrives in Venice on his first trip in seven months

Enough to reassure the followers of the papacy. Pope Francis, 87, is in Venice, Italy, this Sunday on a whirlwind visit, his first trip outside Rome in seven months due to ill health.

Since his visit to Marseille in September 2023, Jorge Bergoglio has not traveled again. Bronchitis forced him to cancel a trip to Dubai in December, and his increasingly fragile general condition forced him to avoid travel.

He began his visit to Venice at a women’s prison, where he called on the prison system to “create conditions for healthy reintegration.” Flying by helicopter directly into the courtyard of the prison on the island of Giudecca, where the Holy See’s pavilion for the 60th Venice Biennale of Contemporary Art is located, Francis greeted in detail one by one the approximately 80 prisoners, administrative and prison staff. and volunteers.

“Do not give up”

In this former convent, welcoming women sentenced to long prison terms, the Bishop of Rome, sensitive to the plight of the marginalized and the prison world, called on the prison system to offer prisoners “tools and space for human growth, spiritual, cultural and professional.” . “Take courage and go ahead! Don’t give up,” the Pope said after receiving gifts of food made by prisoners, some of whom appeared touched.

Traveling to Venice for the first time since his election in 2013, the pope intends to reassure himself of his ability to carry out his ministry weeks after fears caused by his bout of fatigue during the Easter holidays. After Paul VI (1972), John Paul II (1985) and Benedict XVI (2011), Francis is the fourth Pope to visit the Doge’s City.

The Pope’s visit will take place over the weekend, when an entry fee of five euros will be introduced for day tourists: as a guest he should be exempt, but non-resident pilgrims will be subject to this tax. After this trip, the Argentine Jesuit is scheduled to make two more trips to northern Italy: to Verona in May and to Trieste in July.