Pope Francis received the bishops of the Italian region of Campania (map) in an April 11 audience.
Following the two-hour meeting, Bishop Antonio Di Donna of Acera, the president of the local conference of bishops, said that the Pope and the prelates discussed the “challenges of the Gospel.” The Pope, he said, confirmed them in faith, “but even more, in hope.”
The Pontiff, he continued, emphasized “our relationship with the territory” and spoke of the importance of having “the smell of the sheep.”
“Our people, in the South [of Italy], are our great true wealth,” added the prelate.