Saint Francis: in Assisi the day of celebrations of the patron saint of Italy

Assisi celebrates the feast of St. Francis, the patron saint of Italy. At least 4 pilgrims and about fifty mayors from Tuscany, who this year donated oil for the saint's votive lamp, are expected in the city of the Poverello. This morning, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will arrive in Assisi and, following a Mass celebrated by Msgr. Giuseppe Betori, will address the nation from the loggia of the Sacred Convent. In the afternoon, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio will arrive at the Basilica of St. Francis. They will be welcomed by Father Mauro Gambetti, custodian of the Sacred Convent, who, specifically for the feast of Italy's patron saint, has joined the Slow Food initiative to plant 60 million trees. The themes that will be addressed on this day dedicated to the Poverello of Assisi will be those closest to the values ​​of Franciscanism: "the environment, hospitality, peace, and dialogue between religions," as Father Enzo Fortunato, director of the Press Office of the Sacred Convent, recalls.