Pope Francis telephoned the father of Giulia Cecchettin, a 22-year-old girl brutally murdered in Italy on 11 November 2023.
The murder, carried out by Giulia’s ex-boyfriend, Filippo Turetta with more than 20 stab wounds, shocked Italy; when the young woman was about to graduate with a degree in biomedical engineering at the University of Padua.
Gino Cecchettin, Giulia’s father, reported the Holy Father’s call on March 5, during the presentation of the book he dedicated to his daughter, titled Cara Giulia (Dear Giulia) at the Verdi theater in Padua.
According to Vatican News, the news was confirmed by the director of the Vatican Press Office, Matteo Bruni.
The telephone dialogue between Pope Francis and Gino Cecchettin took place through Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna and president of the Italian Episcopal Conference.
“It was he who called me and told me: ‘I’ll put you with the Holy Father.’ I have a somewhat ambiguous relationship with the ‘above’, but no matter how much one doesn’t believe it, he still represents two billion people. “Gino explained at the book presentation.
“When you hear his words, you feel like two billion people are patting you on the back and supporting you,” he added.
“That is one of Giulia’s gifts,” concluded the father of the family.