Pope Francis in Matera for closing of National Eucharistic Congress

By Linda Bordoni

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the President of the Italian Bishop’s Conference welcomed Pope Francis upon his arrival in the city of Matera on Sunday morning.

The Pope’s presence in the so-called City of 'the Sassi', an extraordinary UNESCO World Heritage Site built on a labyrinth of caves that have been inhabited since the Paleolithic period, is to conclude Italy’s 27th National Eucharistic Congress.

The Congress was inaugurated by Cardinal Zuppi on 22 September with an appeal for peace at a time, he said, when Europe is torn apart by a war “that deprives people of bread.

During his homily at Mass in Matera’s Vittorio Veneto Square at the inaugural ceremony of the Congress, Cardinal Zuppi decried the current world scenario that, he said, breeds division, hatred and prejudice encompassed by nuclear weapons.

“Let us rediscover the taste of bread”, he added, echoing the theme of the Congress.

After the Congress’ Concluding Mass on Sunday, the Pope will pray the Angelus before returning to Rome in the afternoon.