Pope Francis visits Venice in first trip outside of Rome in seven months

Pope Francis made his first trip out of Rome in seven months on Sunday with a visit to Venice that included an art exhibition, a stop at a jail and a Mass.

Venice has at all times been a spot of contrasts, of breathtaking beauty and devastating fragility, where history, religion, art and nature have collided over the centuries to provide an otherworldly gem of a city. But even for a spot that prides itself on its culture of surprising encounters, Francis’ visit on Sunday stood out.

Francis traveled to the lagoon city to go to the Holy See’s pavilion on the Biennale contemporary art show and meet with the individuals who created it. But since the Vatican decided to mount its exhibit in Venice’s women’s prison, and invited inmates to collaborate with the artists, the entire project assumed a way more complex meaning, touching on Francis’ belief in the facility of art to uplift and unite, and of the necessity to offer hope and solidarity to society’s most marginalized.

His trip began on the courtyard of the Giudecca prison, where he met with women inmates one after the other.

“Paradoxically, a stay in prison can mark the start of something latest, through the rediscovery of the unsuspected beauty in us and in others, as symbolized by the artistic event you might be hosting and the project to which you actively contribute,” Francis told them.

The 87-year-old pontiff then met with Biennale artists within the prison chapel, decorated with an installation by Brazilian visual artist Sonia Gomes of objects dangling from the ceiling, meant to attract the viewer’s gaze upward.

The Vatican exhibit has turned the Giudecca prison, a former convent for reformed prostitutes, into one among the must-see attractions of this yr’s Biennale, although to see it visitors must reserve upfront and undergo a security check. It has change into an unusual art world darling that greets visitors at the doorway with Maurizio Cattelan’s wall mural of two giant filthy feet, a piece that recalls Caravaggio’s dirty feet or the feet that Francis washes annually in a Holy Thursday ritual that he routinely performs on prisoners.

The exhibit also features a short film starring the inmates and Zoe Saldana, and prints within the prison coffee shop by onetime Catholic nun and American social activist Corita Kent.

Francis’ dizzying morning visit, which ended with Mass in St. Mark’s Square, represented an increasingly rare outing for the 87-year-old pontiff, who has been hobbled by health and mobility problems which have ruled out any foreign trips thus far this yr.

“Venice, which has at all times been a spot of encounter and cultural exchange, is named to be an indication of beauty available to all,” Francis said. “Starting with the least, an indication of fraternity and look after our common home.”

During an encounter with young people at the enduring Santa Maria della Salute basilica, Francis acknowledged the miracle that’s Venice, admiring its “enchanting beauty” and tradition as a spot of East-West encounter, but warning that it’s increasingly vulnerable to climate change and depopulation.

“Venice is at one with the waters upon which it sits,” Francis said. “Without the care and safeguarding of this natural environment, it’d even stop to exist.”

within the exhibit as tour guides and as protagonists in a number of the artworks.

Ahead of his trip, Francis sat down with “CBS Evening News” anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell during an hourlong interview on the guest house where he lives in Rome. 

During the interview, Francis pleaded for peace worldwide amid the continued wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

“Please. Countries at war, all of them, stop the war. Look to barter. Look for peace,” said the pope, speaking through a translator.

He also had a message for many who don’t see a spot for themselves within the Catholic Church anymore. 

“I’d say that there’s at all times a spot, at all times. If on this parish the priest doesn’t seem welcoming, I understand, but go and look elsewhere, there’s at all times a spot,” he said. “Do not run away from the Church. The Church could be very big. It’s greater than a temple … you should not run away from her.”

The pope’s Venice trip was the primary of 4 planned inside Italy in the following three months, Reuters reported. He is scheduled to go to Verona in May and Trieste in July, and is predicted to attend the June summit of Group of Seven (G7) leaders in Bari.

In September, he can also be set to embark on the longest foreign trip of his papacy, traveling to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore.

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An prolonged version of O’Donnell’s interview with Pope Francis will air on “60 Minutes” on Sunday, May 19 at 7 p.m. ET. On Monday, May 20, CBS will broadcast an hourlong primetime special dedicated to the papal interview at 10 p.m. ET on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+. Additionally, CBS News and Stations will carry O’Donnell’s interview across platforms.