Pope Francis will visit the Italian city of Florence on 27 February. The visit is to speak at a meeting of bishops and mayors of the Mediterranean region.
The Pope will encounter refugee families. The trip will conclude with Mass at the Basilica of the Holy Cross, followed by the Angelus.
“I express deep gratitude to Pope Francis for this gesture of attention to the initiative that involves the ecclesial and civil communities of the Mediterranean, ” Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, said in a press release.
The gathering of Church and civil leaders follows a meeting of bishops in the southern Italian city of Bari.