Turin, Italy, Apr 30, 2010 / 14:20 pm
The city of Turin is preparing for the arrival of Pope Benedict and an estimated 100,000 other pilgrims this weekend. The city's archbishop told reporters on Thursday, that he hopes the visit will be celebrated in the future and serve as an impetus for increased evangelization.
The Holy Father will be traveling to the northern Italian city on Sunday morning and returning to the Vatican in the evening. The day will see him celebrate Mass with 25,000 people in the open air of St. Charles Square, officiate a youth celebration, venerate the Shroud in the cathedral and visit with the sick.
Speaking to journalists at a press conference reported by Vatican Radio on Thursday, Cardinal Severino Poletto of Turin called the visit "an exceptional event," especially as it pertains to grace. It's an occasion, he said, "to give new impetus to the faith."
The visit is particularly significant for two reasons: it is both "a pastoral visit to the city and a moment of reflection and prayer before the Shroud," he said.