The topic chosen for this pilgrimage is: “Mary, the source of our joy”. “We will imitate the attitude of the Virgin, who left Nazareth, in nimble steps, to go and meet her cousin Elisabeth - mgr. Brollo explains -. The road was long, the hardships and fears to overcome were many, but at the end of her walk she had her meeting, the mothers hugged each other, and the song of jubilation, the Magnificat, poured out. And this is just the walk I wish to propose to all of you. We will look at Mary, the believing woman who knows how to live the meaning of the feast. She did not let herself be seized by a whirlwind of worries, but she indulged in the joyful song of God’s works”. The schedule of the “pilgrimage of the three peoples” includes the arrival of the pilgrims in front of the shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Graces at 10.30h. The Eucharistic celebration will begin at 11h and will be officiated by the archbishop of Udine, mgr. Brollo, and co-officiated by the bishop of Gurk-Klagenfurt, mgr. Alois Schwarz, and by the archbishop of Ljubljana, mgr. Alojzij Uran. “As usual - the weekly magazine of the diocese of Udine writes -, other bishops will attend the event: they will be coming from dioceses that used to be suffragan of Aquileia. The bishop of Capodistria, mgr. Metod Pirih (his diocese borders on that of Udine, as it covers all the Slovenian side of the Isonzo valley), has confirmed he will be there”.

“We will express the variety of our cultures, we will show the liveliness of our faith based on our common roots, able to overcome any border and any barrier”. With these words, the archbishop of Udine, mgr. Pietro Brollo, describes the meaning of the 27th “pilgrimage of the three peoples”, due on Saturday August 29th in Udine. It is an initiative that concerns pilgrims from the Italian dioceses of Udine and Gorizia, the Slovenian dioceses of Ljubljana, Maribor and Capodistria, and the Austrian dioceses of Klagenfurt and Graz. Every year, one of these three dioceses hosts the pilgrims: this year, it is the turn of the archdiocese of Udine; the destination of the pilgrimage is the basilica of Piazza Primo Maggio, “under the loving glance of the Virgin of the Graces in the shrine that has been faithfully guarded by the Servants of Mary for as many as 530 years”, mgr. Brollo points out. The date of August 29th, explains the archbishop in his message to the priests and devotees of the Region Fiuli and published on the latest issue of the diocesan weekly magazine “La Vita Cattolica”, has been chosen “to cater to the needs of the dioceses of Slovenia, which have an important ecclesial meeting before that date. So, as every year, we will find ourselves joining our sister churches of Gurk-Klagenfurt and Ljubljana, to live this new gathering of prayer, friendship and fraternity”. (continued)

The Director of the Holy See Press Office also commented on the objections raised by some doctors and relayed by the press concerning the Pope’s surgery. “The type of surgery the Pontiff underwent and the way it was carried out - explained Father Lombardi - were chosen after consulting competent people and taking into consideration, as it is normal in these cases, both the direct knowledge of the patient and concrete circumstances”. It is worth “observing” that the “opposing points of view expressed by doctors on the matter are quite “theoretical” in the sense that they cannot take into account fundamental elements such as the direct knowledge of the patient, his situation and the circumstances in which he is living, which are all crucial elements when considering a surgical intervention like the one it was carried out”. According to Father Lombardi, “in the current situation, we can be sure that this was the most appropriate solution one could take; there is no point in raising concerns”.

The Pope’s holidays in Les Combes, Val d’Aosta, “are going on well”, said Director of the Holy See Press Office, Father Federico Lombardi, in an interview with Vatican Radio. The Pope has now entered the second week of his holidays in Val d’Aosta. “The Holy Father had a very busy day yesterday. He is deeply satisfied with it and is now having some rest”. In the following days, said Father Lombardi, he is going to relax and his agenda will be less packed. The Pontiff will celebrate the Vespers in the cathedral of Aosta, along with diocesan priests and representatives from different parishes, on Friday afternoon at 17.30. Four hundred people are expected to attend this beautiful prayer. Then on Sunday, the Holy Father will pray the Angelus in this very place, near his residence”. (continued)