“His visit will increase our awareness and give us an extra boost, so that the Church in Palermo may still be open to the Gospel”. The Archbishop of Palermo, Mgr. Corrado Lorefice, said this in an interview with SIR news agency, commenting on the pastoral visit that Pope Francis will make to Palermo on 15 September, to mark the 25th anniversary of the assassination of Fr. Pino Puglisi. Recalling his first trip to the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, the Archbishop said that, on that occasion, Pope Francis referred to “Matthew, Chapter 25: ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me’”. “Now, he will also be coming for the wounds of our island, for the wounds of the people of Palermo. And we know the social problems affecting our city – not only the mafia, but also survival issues. “Many people in Palermo still do not have a house, or a job – he added -. It is clear that the Pope comes to support us even in this, he comes, as always, as a witness to a Gospel that touches the lives of men and women”.