Fraternal visits

Card. Gianfranco Ravasi

During these last few months fraternal visits have again strengthened our ecclesial and ecumenical relations, especially by welcoming among us several bishops: cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, who this year returned to Bose to share a Biblical look at the prophet Ezechiel with the community and our guests; cardinal Philippe Barbarin, archbishop of Lyons, who made his spiritual retreat here; Piero Marini, president of the Pontifical Committee for the International Eucharistic Congresses; Adrian van Luyn, retired bishop of Rotterdam; Luc van Looy, bishop of Ghent; Philippe Ballot, bishop of Chambery, who came to Bose with his episcopal council; Michel Pansard, bishop of Chartres; Pierre Farine, auxiliary bishop of Lausanne-Geneva-Fribourg; Denis Theurillaz, auxiliary bishop of Basle; Tommaso Valentinetti, archbishop of Pescara; Arrigo Miglio, former bishop of Ivrea and now archbishop of Cagliari; Paolo Magnani, retired bishop of Treviso; Corrado Pizziolo, bishop of Vittorio Veneto; Franco Giulio Brambilla, bishop of Novara; Carlo Radaelli, vicar general of Milan; David Stancliffe, retired Anglican bishop of Salisbury; Martin Modeus, Lutheran bishop of Linköping in Sweden. The bishop of our Biella diocese, Gabriele Mana, like his predecessor, Massimo Giustetti, has not failed to have us feel his closeness and affection for our community through repeated visits.

As always, moreover, very precious moments for us have been exchanges with brothers and sisters who share our form of life. In these last few months they have been revived by visits and exchanges with the Italian Benedictine communities of Dumenza, Viboldone, and San Giulio d’Orta, and with the French Trappist community of Blauvac..