The three-day Italian bishops in seclusion at Righi, individual cells and pesto perfume – The Republic

The silence and the view of Genoa and its port must serve, speech by Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco , to “keep alive the missionary impulse to go out to off into the open sea of ​​evangelization. ” And although nobody says it, it is useful to maintain focus and avoid the many distractions of the Roman commitments every day beset the bishops. So in three days of the permanent council, the first time in history that takes place in Genoa, there are no outputs nor visits to parishes in the city.

Genoa bishops will see it only from above, but a taste of the culture and Ligurian tradition will have it thanks to the seminar kitchen, which promises Genoese dishes, pesto surely, but perhaps also pasqualina. The bishops are all housed in single rooms, to the seminary there is plenty of space, today’s seminarians studying to be priests on the Righi hills are only eleven, all ultradiciannovenni, committed over the past five years of the study of theology.

the new priestly ordinations can be counted on the tip of a hand, while at the time of the consecration of Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco with him the church had acquired as many as 16 new priests. Bagnasco is now preparing to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of his priesthood Thursday, March 24, Holy Thursday, in the cathedral, and the new priests are much less.

“The seminar is our second home – says Fr. Silvio Grilli, director of Catholic weekly the Citizen – here are often held meetings meetings of the diocesan clergy, and here we have studied a bit ‘all, reminds us of our youth “.

It’ was so natural to drop the selection on the Seminar, when it came to host the permanent council of the Italian Episcopal Conference, for the first time in Genoa. “Cardinal Bagnasco urged bishops to hold this meeting in the city – explains Don Grilli – ahead of the National Eucharistic Congress to be held in Genoa from 15 to 18 September. If the council of the CEI had never been held in Genoa, for the Eucharistic Congress instead we have a precedent, it was 1923 and it was an event of extraordinary participation that led to Genoa thousands of faithful. Of course there were other times – adds Don Grilli – but today there are also different media that still allow you to bring the echo of the congress in the world. “

” The Eucharistic Congress in Genoa will be a time very important for the whole church – adds Don Ivan Maffeis, Undersecretary of the Italian Bishops – the choice to keep here the permanent council of the CEI is due precisely to this date. “

in September there will be an opportunity for different events and public celebrations in the cathedral in Piazza Matteotti and also in the ancient harbor

arrive priests and faithful from all over Italy, and will not be Pope Francis, who at first had been given among those present.

the board of the CEI is instead a whole internal meeting at the church and then place in closed the seminar, chaired by Cardinal Bagnasco, who is moreover the second president of the Genoa Cei. The first was Cardinal Giuseppe Siri of which the same Bagnasco was a student.

Topics:

genoa

assembea cei

seminar Righi

Starring:

Angelo Bagnasco