Pope Visits Hospice After Prison Visit

The second stop on Pope Francis' day trip to Calabria was a visit with the terminally ill.

After first visiting a prison in Castrovillari, Calabria, the Pope visited the hospice San Giuseppe Moscati. Arriving by helicopter at about 10:20 a.m, the Pope made his first stop within the Calabrian Diocese of Cassano All’Jonio, where the remainder of today's events will take place, including a lunch with the poor, a meeting with elderly, and a public Mass.

To the sick of San Giuseppe Moscati, the Pope did not deliver a formal speech. The Holy Father remained at the hospice until after 11 a.m., before heading to and speaking at a diocesan seminary.

Dedicated to helping the terminally ill, the hospice was the first facility of its kind to have arisen in Calabria, and is the only residential center for palliative care in the province of Cosenza, according to its website.

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On the Net:

Italian website of hospice: http://www.cosenza5.doloredoc.it/home