VENICE: Pope Francis presided over mass in Saint Mark’s Square on Sunday, warning of environmental damage and over-tourism in a closely watched visit, the first for the ageing pontiff outside Rome since last year.

Fragile health has prevented the 87-year-old leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics from travelling in recent months, his last trip being a visit to the French city of Marseille in September 2023.

But under sunny skies on Sunday, the pope appeared in high spirits as he addressed more than 10,000 faithful seated in the vast St Mark’s Square, following an earlier visit to a women’s prison and an address to young Venetians.

Citing the “enchanting beauty” of Venice, Francis listed the many dangers facing it — climate change, mass tourism and “frayed social relations, individualism and loneliness”.

“Venice is one with the waters upon which it sits. Without the care and safeguarding of this natural environment, it might even cease to exist,” said the pope in his homily.

“Similarly, our life is also immersed forever in the springs of God’s love,” he said.

Venice, he said, “which has always been a place of encounter and cultural exchange, is called to be a sign of beauty available to all, starting with the last — a sign of fraternity and care for our common home.”

The pope’s visit came during the same weekend that Venice launched a new five-euro ($5.35) entry fee for day-trippers, aimed at easing the pressure of tourism on the Unesco World Heritage site.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2024