On the day of the visit of the Holy Father to Arezzo, Franco Vaccari, president of the association Rondine Cittadella della Pace, commented the live broadcast of Fabio Zavattaro, vaticanist of Tg1.
Among the strong emotions provoked by this intense day that all the community of believers waited for so long, some reflections were generated on issues of topical interest, like the current situation of economic crisis. The bishop of Arezzo, Riccardo Fontana, gave “a present from the workers” to the Pope, a golden cross made by the sculptor and goldsmith Enzo Scatragli and realized by “Unoaerre”.
Franco Vaccari underlined the double meaning of this present: an artistic meaning and a human and social one. Despite the big difficulties of many local companies, the goldsmith’s industry is a crucial sector for the economy that is saving many workplaces in this hard times.
Benedictus XVI talked about solidarity and common good in his sermon. While the Pope was pronouncing it Zavattaro pointed out: “This is a request for Christians to be resourceful. The Pope gives particular importance to these words, in a way to confer a new identity and role on Christians, both in the Church and in the society”. Franco Vaccari added: “The presence of the successor of S. Peter in our city stimulates us to rediscover the spiritual roots of our territory, combining faith to our current situation. We need to invest more in education because it is the core of spiritual and civil growth, as Benedictus XVI stated in his sermon”.
Zavattaro spoke about some of the basic ideas of S. Francis, after having mentioned that the Holy Father already visited this territory in the past and La Verna in particular. The president of Rondine underlined that S. Francis, walking from Umbria to Tuscany, marked with his feet concrete paths that should make our hearts open. Vaccari said also that the paintings of Piero della Francesca are an important spiritual reminder for all the citizens of Arezzo: they remind them how stigmata are a symbol of a painful wound that turns into a message of peace.
