The Italian Bishops will make a special prayer “for Italy and for peace” at the tomb of Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of Italy on 4 October, the feast day of the saint. The president of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, stated that the country is going through due to a current government crisis.
“On October 4, the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of Italy, the Italian Episcopal Conference has been invited to make the gesture of offering oil for the votive lamp at the tomb of the Saint,” Cardinal Zuppi said.
Along these lines, the president of the Italian Episcopate explained that “it will be a moment of gratitude for those who are helping the Italian people to cope with the effects of the pandemic” and added that “it will also be an opportunity for a special prayer for Italy and for peace”.
Also, referring to the current government crisis in Italy, Cardinal Zuppi thanked his “most sincere gratitude to President Draghi and the entire Government he presides over for their efforts during these difficult months and for the method of work that has distinguished them.”
“At this decisive and risky moment for Italy and Europe, I would like to renew my firm call for individual and collective responsibility in the face of the next electoral deadline,” he said.
For this reason, the Cardinal exhorted to “think about the suffering of the people and guarantee serious responses, not ideological or misleading, that also indicate sacrifices if they are necessary, but that give security and reasons for hope.”
Then, the president of the CIS warned that in fact the crisis “can be a great opportunity to rediscover what unites, to strengthen the sense of a community of destiny and the passion to make our country and the world better.”
“It is a moment in which we must rebuild the sense of community, in which, as President Mattarella has reminded us, we need a ‘constructive contribution’ from everyone, especially from those who decide to participate in political life. And we hope that there will be many and with that deep motivation for the common good”, concluded Cardinal Zuppi. Italy is currently going through a government crisis after the resignation of the President of the Council of Ministers, Mario Draghi, and the loss of the majority in Parliament. Therefore, Italy will go to the polls on 25 September.
After Draghi’s resignation, Sergio Mattarella stated that “it was not possible to form a new majority” and added that the Government has “the tools to operate before the new executive is formed” so “there are no possible pauses in the time we are going through.”
In this way, the head of state indicated that “despite the intense and sometimes sharp dialectic of the electoral campaign, there is a constructive contribution from all in the best interest of Italy”.