At his December 31 general audience in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV met with Archbishop Gherardo Gambelli of Florence and a group of factory workers who were laid off via email in 2021.
The workers’ “dismissal after years of diligent and honest work,” said the prelate, “gave rise to a mobilization that lasted for years, intertwining the workers’ struggle with new forms of collective resistance, inspiring reflections on the relationship between industry, territory, and social justice.”
“For this reason, I wanted to be with them: early this morning we celebrated Mass in the Vatican Grottoes, and then there was the meeting with the Pope, which instilled courage,” he added.