VATICAN CITY, APRIL 25, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI will visit three Italian cities in May that have a long history of monasticism and contemplative life.
The Vatican reported today about the May 13 pastoral visit to Arezzo, La Verna and Sansepolcro.
The one-day trip will include 10 a.m. Mass in Arezzo and lunch with the bishops of the Tuscany region. Then at the shrine of La Verna he will visit the Chapel of the Wounds in which St. Francis of Assisi meditated, then meet with members of the Friars Minor and Poor Clares from the local area on the esplanade in front of the building.
At 6:30 p.m. he will travel to Sansepolcro. There he will visit the local cathedral which houses a famous crucifix known as the «Santo Volto» (Holy Face), considered to be one of the oldest images of the the clothed and crucified Christ. At 7:30 p.m. he will meet the inhabitants of the town in the piazza before returning to the Vatican at 8:15 p.m..
