Pope Benedict XVI Blog

Pope to Visit Assisi Sunday

To Follow Footsteps of St. Francis

VATICAN CITY, JUNE 15, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI's visit to the tomb of St. Francis will be a pilgrimage that follows in the footsteps of the "little poor man of Assisi," says the local bishop.

The Pope will arrive in the Umbrian city by helicopter Sunday at 8:50 a.m. His trip will mark the 800th anniversary of the conversion St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226).

Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino told L'Osservatore Romano that the Holy Father "will recall what Francis tells us about the beginning of his conversion, spent serving lepers."

At 9:30 a.m., the Holy Father will go by car to the Church of San Damiano and then to the Basilica of St. Clare at 9:50 a.m. for a brief visit and private prayer.

At that moment, said Archbishop Sorrentino, "we will relive the dialogue with the crucifix that changed St. Francis' life."

At 11 a.m., the prelate continued, in the piazza located in front of the lower Basilica of St. Francis, there will be a Mass that will underline "the particularly Eucharistic dimension of St. Francis' spirituality."

After the Mass, Benedict XVI will visit the tomb of St. Francis privately.
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posted by Dr. Denice Hanley, DPM, M.Div. @ 11:20 PM