Vatican City, Feb 2, 2018 / 07:48 am
The Vatican announced Friday that Pope Francis has added two day-trips in Italy to his schedule for spring 2018, including his already-scheduled visit to the towns of Pietrelcina and San Giovanni Rotondo for the 50th anniversary of Padre Pio's death.
He will visit Alessano and Molfetta April 20 marking the 25th anniversary of the death of Antonio (Tonino) Bello, an Italian bishop whose cause for beatification was opened in 2007.
On May 10 Francis will visit Nomadelfia, a Catholic community of families and lay unmarried people who adopt a lifestyle inspired by the Acts of the Apostles. The same day he will visit Loppiano, near Florence, the location of the international complex of the Focolare Movement.
Francis' schedule for his visit to Alessano and Molfetta, which both lie in the south of Italy, will begin with a short flight from Rome's Ciampino Airport to the Galatina military airport. From there, he will travel by helicopter to Alessano.