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A day of priestly fraternity and ecclesial communion brought the priests of the Diocese of Locri-Gerace to Messina, who arrived together with the apostolic administrator Msgr. Francesco Oliva to meet the bishop-elect Cesare Di Pietro. The visit, punctuated by prayer and celebratory moments, prepares for the installation of the new bishop, scheduled for July 25th in Gerace.
The reception in the Cathedral
The day opened in the Cathedral Basilica of Messina, where Di Pietro welcomed the Locrian clergy with words of cordiality and spirituality. In his speech he underlined how true mutual knowledge matures through a journey of interior freedom and trust in the Holy Spirit, inviting priests to be authentic “letters of Christ”, visible and readable in daily life, according to the teaching of Saint Paul. The bishop-elect then shared some traits of his own vocational history, marked – he said – by the mercy of God, the faithfulness of the Church and gratitude towards the family.
Visiting the symbolic places of the city
The delegation then visited the main places of the Messina Church, including the Cathedral with the bell tower and the Montalto sanctuary. After lunch at the Archbishop’s Seminary, the priests went to the basilica sanctuary of Sant’Antonio of the Rogationist Fathers, with a prayer stop in the crypt where the remains of Sant’Annibale Maria Di Francia rest, in the year in which the Church of Messina opened the celebrations for the centenary of his death.
The celebration in Montevergine and the meeting with the Poor Clares
In the afternoon, in the church of the Montevergine Monastery, Msgr. Oliva presided over the Eucharistic celebration, concelebrated by his elected successor Di Pietro and the priests present. At the end, the delegation met the community of the Poor Clares of the monastery, led by Mother Agnese Pavone, entrusting the path of the two dioceses and the next episcopal ministry of the elected bishop to the prayers of the nuns.
Towards the inauguration of July 25th
«We have entered into full harmony with Cesare and the Church of Messina, entering into the spirit of collaboration», declared Oliva, who added that among the priests of Locri-Gerace there is a strong desire to walk together, expressing admiration for the city of the Strait which gave birth to the new bishop. The official inauguration is scheduled for July 25th at 7pm in the Con-Cathedral Basilica of Gerace. Even before that, on 2 July at 6.30 pm, in the Cathedral of Messina, Di Pietro will concelebrate a thanksgiving mass with Archbishop Accolla on the anniversary of his episcopal ordination.