Rome, Italy, Dec 10, 2008 / 08:52 am
On the feast of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, officials announced that Pope Benedict XVI will visit three Italian dioceses next year, including the diocese where San Giovanni Rotondo is located, the burial place of St. Pio de Pietrelcina or “Padre Pio.”
According to Vatican Radio, “The Pope will visit Cassino and the Abbey of Montecassino on May 24; on June 21, he will visit the shrine of San Giovanni Rotondo, where the tomb of Padre Pio is located and on September 6 he will visit Viterbo and Bagnoreggio.”