SW News: Pope Francis has expressed his willingness to travel to the city of Florence in Italy next year to meet mayors and top officials from Mediterranean towns as well as families of refugees and migrants.

The visit of the pontiff has been confirmed by Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, Archbishop of Perugia and President of the Italian Episcopal Conference. It is slated to take place on February 27. During the visit, His Holiness will celebrate Holy Mass and lead the Angelus in the Basilica of the Holy Cross in the city.

Expressing his “deep gratitude” to the Pope for “for this gesture of attention towards the initiative that involves the ecclesial and civil communities of the Mediterranean, Cardinal Bassetti said that the “Florence meeting will be an opportunity to continue reflecting on the commitments the Holy Father gave us in Bari.”

The papal visit will pave the way for broken links to be repaired, rebuilding of towns wrecked by violence, gardens to bloom where there are now parched fields, hope to be restored to those who have lost it, and appeal to those who are closing in on them not to fear their brother, added Cardinal Bassetti.

On February 23 last year, the Holy Father addressed more than 50 bishops from 19 Mediterranean nations in the coastal city of Bari in Italy.