(ANS – Turin) – During his first official visit to Turin, on 14 May, the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella paid a visit to the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians. He laid a wreath of flowers at the casket of Don Bosco where he remained for a moment of prayer. "I have an image of Don Bosco in my office," he told Fr Francesco Cereda, Vicar of the Rector Major of the Salesians.

After a private visit to the Holy Shroud in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, President Sergio Mattarella went to the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians where he was welcomed by Fr Francesco Cereda, Vicar of the Rector Major of the Salesians, and Fr Enrico Stasi, Superior of the Salesians in Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta.

Hundreds of young people from the oratory and schools in Valdocco joined in a joyful welcome to the Head of State. They chanted enthusiastically "We are the boys and girls of Don Bosco" and "Long live President Mattarella".

"Contrary to what some people think, the President is a communicator. He was at home among the young people," said Fr Cereda.

The President laid a wreath at the casket of the Saint of Youth and remained for a moment of prayer. "I have an image of Don Bosco in my office," he told Fr Cereda.

At the end of the meeting the Vicar of the Rector Major said: “The visit of the head of state is a recognition of Don Giovanni Bosco, an Italian like so many others who contributed to the growth of the nation and to the role of Italy in the world. Everybody knows Turin and Italy through Don Bosco." Fr Enrico Stasi said, "He is a popular saint who reached out to young people and did not wait for them to come to him.”

Mattarella remarked on the difficult environment for young people in Sicilian cities like Catania and Palermo. "He actually said that young people are important and should be placed at the centre of our work," said Fr Cereda, recalling the great excitement that surrounds the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians and also the Shroud, with thousands of people every day visiting the tomb of Don Bosco after their visit to the Holy Shroud in the Cathedral.

The first official visit of President Mattarella to Turin ended with a meeting with young people and volunteers from SERMIG (Young Missionary Service) of Borgo Dora, the former weapons factory converted thirty years ago by Ernesto Olivero into the Arsenal of Peace and a house offering accommodation for people in difficulty. The refurbishment of the hostel was inaugurated in 1984 by the then President of the Republic Sandro Pertini, a Salesian Past Pupil, who acknowledged that he had "learned in the Salesian school an unbounded love for all the oppressed and the poor", to which he was inspired by "the admirable life of the saint."

Published 15/05/2015