by Paolo Lòriga
Between 21 July and 5 August, eight Italian groups and 13 groups from various countries in Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa stayed in Loppiano, for a total of a thousand pilgrims of hope. They all wanted to get to know Loppiano. Each group had a specific programme, prepared by 19 young people and 14 adults from the Welcome Team.
‘I had never been to St. Peter’s Basilica. Entering it was unforgettable because of its grandeur and beauty, but passing through the Holy Door, after the journey of preparation, was a profound, unique moment of extraordinary contemplation.’ Gemma, with her blonde curls, is from Madrid and studies at the University of Pamplona. The joy in her heart overflows. ‘The Jubilee was a wonderful experience. We were very impressed by Pope Leo’s homily at the Mass on the Tor Vergata esplanade.’ The difficulties were overcome well. ‘Forty of us were housed in twenty square metres, but we did not lose hope, the gift of the Jubilee.’
It is 7:45 a.m. on 4 August. Gemma and the group of young people from Spain are in the Loppiano dining room, ready for breakfast. They are on their way back, but they also stopped on the way there to visit the little town. Shortly afterwards, a group from Holland arrives for breakfast, visiting Loppiano for the first time. There are 28 young people and 8 accompanying adults, representing a significant experience of collaboration between old and new charisms in the diocese of ‘s-Hertogenbosch. The adults are three Franciscans, two Dominican laywomen, an Augustinian, a diocesan youth leader and a focolarino. ‘We really appreciated the Saturday evening vigil,’ says one of the young people. The Pope’s answers touched us deeply.”
The group from Piossasco (Turin) together with the group from Spain.
Arrival in Loppiano and departure, arrival and departure. Every day, even several times a day, from 21 July to 5 August. Sharing expectations for the Jubilee before Rome, sharing the experience of the Jubilee after Rome. Loppiano experienced a time of grace because it was chosen as a stopover for young pilgrims of hope. Eight Italian groups passed through, for a total of 314 people, and 13 groups, with 678 people, from Europe (four from France), South America, Asia and Africa. In all, 992 people. The groups stayed only a few hours or a few days. They arrived by coach, minibus, car, train, and even hitchhiking. They wanted to discover the little town because it is characterised by internationality, the law of mutual love, and a commitment to living the Gospel.
Group photo in front of the Maria Theotokos Shrine for young people from Milan.
A specific programme was prepared for each group. They were struck by the beauty of the Marian Jubilee Shrine of Maria Theotokos, as well as by the charm of the Tuscan landscape. They appreciated the meditative paths of preparation for the Jubilee, the workshop on holiness, the evenings of prayer and reflection, and those of games and music to get to know each other better. They visited with great interest the exhibitions of the artists present in Loppiano, whom they met. During their meetings with the teachers of Sophia, they asked many questions about faith, the Church, unity, inclusion and dialogue, which encouraged them to review their own personal convictions. The Malawian music group was a special gift, and the French musicians also went to play in a retirement home in Figline Valdarno.
The group of French musicians visiting the retirement home in Figline Valdarno.
The stop in Loppiano allowed for moments of recollection and opportunities for confession with the priests of their own group or with those of the little town. Among the accompanying priests were Monsignor Pierre-Yves Michel, bishop of Nancy and Toul (France), and Monsignor Johannes Hendriks, bishop of the Dutch diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam, who were always with the young people.
On the left, Monsignor Johannes Hendriks, Bishop of Haarlem-Amsterdam (Netherlands) and, on the right, Monsignor Pierre-Yves Michel, Bishop of Nancy and Toul (France).
From the small observatory in Loppiano, these pilgrims of hope showed that they are ‘deeply searching’, but ‘pray seriously and without haste’, ‘appreciate contemplation’, ‘do not disdain silence’, ‘want to get to the bottom of issues’, ‘are thirsty for the spirit’, ‘many have discovered that the Gospel can be lived,’ as gathered by their peers from the Loppiano Welcome Team, composed of 19 young people and 14 adults from 18 countries, who accompanied each group. The plurality of languages spoken allowed for immediate verbal communication and rapid empathy with everyone. Some of the young people in the Welcome Team, even though they did not have a perfect command of the Italian language, managed changes in the programme and dealt with all sorts of unexpected events. Above all, they were able to throw their hearts beyond the obstacles and open them generously to the groups who arrived for an experience of mutual love and love for all to be given to others.
An evening with the groups from Nancy-Toul and Haarlem-Amsterdam on the lawns of the Salone San Benedetto.