Pope Francis visited Venice on Sunday, his first visit outside Rome in seven months.
During his six-hour visit, he became the first pope to attend the Venice Biennale, a major contemporary art event.
The Argentine Pope flew directly from the Vatican by helicopter to the women's prison on Giudecca Island, where the Vatican was holding a Biennale exhibition. The 60th Venice Biennale will open on April 20th and run until November 24th.
Pope Francis meets with prisoners and tours exhibition
The exhibition visited by the pope is titled “Through My Eyes” and features the work of nine contemporary artists who have worked closely with prison inmates.
“Let's not forget that we all have mistakes to be forgiven and wounds to heal,” he said after meeting with some inmates at the prison.
The exhibition's chief curator, José Tolentino de Mendonca, said the first visit by a pope to the Venice Biennale was a “historic moment”.
Chiara Parisi, curator of the human rights-focused project, said there was “huge surprise” and “hope” among prisoners about the pope's visit.
She said the trip focused on “working people trying to do their part, even in extremely difficult circumstances.”
Pope says his job is 'not easy'
The Pope then celebrated Mass in St. Mark's Basilica with thousands of attendees.
Workers built a pontoon bridge over the cathedral to give the Pope easy access to St. Mark's Square in the center of Venice.
canal.
He drove across, watched by hundreds of onlookers on land, boats and gondolas.
“Please pray for me, because this task is not easy,” he told thousands of believers gathered in St. Mark's Square.
Sunday's visit to Venice will be the pope's first since visiting Marseille in September.
The 87-year-old has been suffering from several health issues, most recently forcing him to cancel his plans to travel to Dubai in December.
In March, Pope Francis skipped the traditional Good Friday procession in Rome due to health reasons.
The Pope has a busy schedule, with visits to Verona in May, Bari in June, and Trieste in July.
In September, he will spend 12 days visiting Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore.
ss/sms (AFP, Reuters, DPA)
