15 September 2018 | Address of His Holiness, Visit

PASTORAL VISIT OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS AT THE DIOCESE OF PIAZZA ARMERINA AND DI PALERMO ON THE OCCASION OF THE 25th ANNIVERSARY OF DEATH DEL BEATO PINO PUGLISI MEETING WITH THE FAITHFUL ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS

Piazza Europa (Piazza Armerina)

[…]
Your Bishop has just recalled the choice that the Church of Piazza Armerina is making
with joyful hope, amid the various problems that limit the serenity of this territory.
There are not a few sores that afflict you. They have a name: social and cultural
underdevelopment; exploitation of workers and lack of dignified employment for
young people; migration of whole families; usury; alcoholism and other addictions;
gamble; fraying of family ties. And faced with so much suffering, the ecclesial
community may sometimes appear lost and tired; sometimes, thanks to God, it is
lively and prophetic, while seeking new ways of announcing and offering mercy above
all to those brothers who have fallen into disaffection, distrust, and the crisis of faith.
Because it’s true: it is not easy to carry on the faith among so many problems. It’s
not easy, I understand it. […]