The Pope paid a visit to the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy on Wednesday afternoon, and spoke to the students about world news and the Church’s diplomatic service.
On Wednesday, June 8, His Holiness Pope Francis visited the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, home of the formation of diplomats affiliated with the Holy See. He was accompanied on the visit by Bishop Jan Romero Palovsky, Secretary of the Papal Embassies. There they were received by the President of the Pontifical Academy, Bishop Joseph Marino, and Bishop Gabriele Marcello Viola Casalong, Dean Pontifical Studies, Father Orlando Torres, the Jesuit and Spiritual Guide of the Pontifical Academy, thirty-six student-priests from twenty-two countries on different continents.
After the welcoming speech of the Holy Father delivered by Archbishop Marino, in which he expressed his happiness and gratitude for the presence of the Pope and the maternal love he showed towards the Academy, the students also had the opportunity to ask the Holy Father some questions about current issues related to the pattern of diplomatic service, the situation of the Church and the contemporary world. In his answers to the questions, Pope Francis highlighted the importance of priestly spirituality, which is nourished by prayer and worship in listening to the voice of the Lord. As models of holiness for diplomatic life, the Holy Father referred to Saint Charles de Foucault and Saint Pietro Favre.
With regard to the framework of formation, Pope Francis reiterated the importance of the experience of the missionary year, which he himself wanted to be an essential part in the process of preparing and upbringing diplomats of the Holy See. During the missionary training period there. At the end of his visit, the Holy Father saluted the nuns. Apostolic Community of Mary Ever Virgin and lay associates who work at the Academy.