The Holy Father visits Greccio

Vatican City, 5 January 2016 (VIS) – Yesterday afternoon the deputy director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Ciro Benedettini C.P., reported on the Holy Father's visit to the Franciscan shrine of Greccio, Italy.

In the late morning the Pope travelled by car to Rieti, where he met privately with the bishop Domenico Pompili. In the afternoon, accompanied by the bishop, he left for the shrine of Greccio, arriving shortly before 3 p.m. He greeted a group of young participants in the diocesan meeting “Giovani Greccio 2016”.

Upon arrival at the shrine he was welcomed by the Franciscan friars, and paused to pray before the fresco depicting the first creche realised in Greccio by St. Francis of Assisi. He then greeted the Franciscan community and, at 3.30 p.m., departed by car for Rome.