Pope Francis spent the weekend in Asti, northwest Italy over the weekend - the area where his father came from. On Saturday he paid several private visits to relatives - in particular, he had lunch with a cousin, Carla Rabezzana, celebrating her 90th birthday in the small town of Portac.
PORTACOMARO, Italy (AP) Pope Francis made a rare personal getaway Saturday to his father’s birthplace in northern Italy for the first time since ascending the papacy to celebrate the 90th birthday of a family member.
ASTI, Italy Pope Francis honored his northern Italian roots on Sunday by celebrating a special Mass in his father s hometown and encouraging younger generations to not be indifferent to the poverty and misery all around them.
Pope Francis made a rare personal getaway Saturday, returning to his father’s birthplace in northern Italy for the first time since ascending the papacy to celebrate the 90th birthday of a second cousin who long knew him as simply “Giorgio.”