Pope with inmates, artists and young people

The Holy See Press Office has published the itinerary for Pope Francis’ one-day pastoral visit to Venice, scheduled to take place on Sunday, 28 April.

The Holy Father will depart by helicopter from the Vatican at 6:30 a.m. and is expected to arrive at the internal courtyard of the Women’s Prison on the Island of Giudecca at around 8 a.m. He will be welcomed by Patriarch Francesco Moraglia, and by Maria Milano Franco D’Aragona, Mariagrazia Felicita Bregoli and Lara Boco, respectively the superintendent, director and commander of the prison police. The Pope will then meet with inmates in the courtyard, where he will deliver a speech in the presence of administrative staff, prison police and volunteers and then personally greet the approximately 80 inmates present.

The Holy Father will then go to the Church of La Maddalena (the prison chapel), where he will be greeted by Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, and curator of the Holy See Pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale. After meeting with the artists and authorities participating in the exhibition, Pope Francis will travel by motorboat to the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, where he will meet with young people from Venice and the dioceses of the Veneto Region. Following a discourse the Holy Father and a youth delegation will cross the bridge connecting with Saint Mark’s Square, where he will be greeted by Veneto Region President, Luca Zaia; by the Prefect of Venice, Darco Pellos; and by the city's mayor, Luigi Brugnaro. Pope Francis will then celebrate Holy Mass for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, which will be followed by the Regina Caeli. After Patriarch Moraglia’s words of gratitude, the Pope will pay a private visit to the Basilica of Saint Mark to venerate the relics of the Patron of Venice. He will then travel by motorboat to the heliport of the “F. Morosini” Naval College at Sant’Elena, for a farewell with the civil and religious authorities who had welcomed him upon his arrival. Pope Francis will then depart for the Vatican, where he is expected to arrive around 2:30 p.m.