Wednesday, 24 June 2026, the day on which the Church celebrates the solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, Genoa celebrated the city’s patron. After the Noonday Hour chanting at 10:30 a.m. in the chapel of Saint John the Baptist, within the splendid Cathedral of Saint Lawrence, H.E. Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, Emeritus Archbishop of Genoa, presided over the solemn Pontifical Mass on the 60th anniversary of his priestly ordination, which took place on 29 June 1966. Then, at 5:00 p.m., the Metropolitan Archbishop of Genoa, H.E. the Most Reverend Marco Tasca, OFM Conv., presided over the Solemn Vespers of the Baptist, in the presence of civil and military authorities, including the Prefect of Genoa, Dr. Cinzia Torraco; the President of Liguria, Dr. Marco Bucci; and the Mayor of Genoa, Dr. Silvia Salis.
At the conclusion, Archbishop Tasca delivered his address to the City, to its administrators, and to all those who work within the territory of the Archdiocese of Genoa, urging a truthful and hopeful view of reality. “The voice of John recalls truth, but always opens to hope,” he stated, exhorting not to conceal the difficulties of the present without yielding to discouragement. He drew attention to the fragilities that mark the city’s social fabric, in particular loneliness, aging of the population, and new forms of poverty, indicating in the strength of relationships, solidarity, and community the most authentic response. He also reaffirmed the centrality of the dignity of the person and the need to invest in health, work, education, and social participation as foundations for building a more just and inclusive future.
Despite the intense heat, the traditional Procession proceeded from Via San Lorenzo to the Porto Antico, bearing the Ark of the Baptist’s ashes, a silvered chest from the sixteenth century, and the processional crucifixes of the Ligurian Confraternities. Following tradition, at the end of the Procession Archbishop Tasca blessed the City and the sea from the stage placed at the Calata del Porto Antico beside Palazzo San Giorgio. The water sprays and the sounding of ship sirens from the Coast Guard and Fire Brigade gave a very evocative farewell.
Participating in the celebrations, by invitation of the Ceremonial Officer of the Curia of the Archdiocese of Genoa, Monsignor Gianluigi Ganabano, were a representation of the Liguria Delegation, led by the Nob. Luigi Filippo Granello di Casaleto, Knight of Justice; together with the representative of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, led by that Order’s Delegate for Liguria, Dr. Augusto Vianson, Knight of Magistral Grace in Obedience; of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, led by the Dean for Liguria, Comm. Eros Bassano Betti; and of the Dynastic Orders of the Royal House of Savoy, led by the Regional Delegate, Dr. Comm. Matteo Giachino.
At the beginning of the solemn Morning Mass, Archbishop Marco Tasca extended to Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco a warm greeting on behalf of the entire Genoa diocesan community, expressing gratitude “for having served this Church, for having loved it, for having accompanied it with firmness, with intelligence, with faith,” recalling the years of his episcopate and the deep bond that continues to unite him to the diocesan community.
In his homily, Cardinal Bagnasco recalled Saint John the Baptist as a model of priestly ministry, underscoring that the essential task of the priest is to lead people toward God. “The priest must speak to men of God: this is our mission,” he stated, highlighting how every authentic pastoral action begins from a personal encounter with the Lord and leads to Him.
