The Pope gave wine his blessing at a recent international wine and spirits exhibition held in Verona, Italy. The skills of winegrowers — respect, perseverance and knowing how to prune to produce fruit — are also valuable messages for the soul, Pope Francis said.
The event was dedicated to Italian wine and “the economy of Francesco,” an economy inspired by St. Francis of Assisi that respects the earth and promotes peace and justice.
“Wine, the land, farming skills and entrepreneurial activity are gifts from God,” the Catholic News Service reported His Holiness saying. “It is good that you find yourselves reflecting together on the ethical aspects and moral responsibilities involved (in wine production) and that you draw inspiration from the ‘Poverello’ of Assisi.”
“Respect, perseverance, the ability to prune to bear fruit,” he said, are “valuable messages for the soul, which are well learned from the rhythms of nature, the vines and production.”
