Large Canvas of Pope John XXIII Arrives at Lazise Parish Church

The Good Pope has arrived in Lazise. It is not a miracle nor a “hoax,” but simply the truth. It arrived at the parish church of Lazise thanks to the skill and craftsmanship of Alberto Franchini, an amateur painter and friend of Lazise and the Parish of San Martino.

It is a huge canvas depicting the newly beatified individual who has recently been canonized. A painting that Franchini wanted to donate to the parish, as he has done many times before, to reaffirm his love and attachment to the Roman Catholic faith.

And so, his thoughts and memory could not be absent for Pope John XXIII, the Good Pope, the Pope of children, the Pope who speaks “to the moon.” The oil painting on canvas is enormous. It measures 2 meters in height and 1.40 meters in width. The colors are bright and very vivid.

The Pope is depicted in his most noble and radiant pose, wearing the red and ermine mantle, in the opulence of the time typical of the pre-Reformation Vatican. The canvas will be placed, after a period of exhibition next to the high altar, in the recess discovered during the church restoration work, which is still ongoing, on the left side of the sanctuary, toward the back.

The placement and homage to Giovanni XXIII

It seems like seeing Pope Roncalli right next to us, in his characteristic stance – states don Nicola Azzali, emeritus parish priest of Malcesine and assistant to Parish Priest Sacchella – and the colors are so vivid that it even looks like a marvelous colored photograph.

We are grateful to the author – says the parish priest – because he honors us with a beautiful work, but above all, he gives us the most authentic portrait of the Blessed Pope, so beloved by both the religious and secular world, who truly knew how to “open a window to the world” for the church and humanity.

“His gospel message – continues don Sacchella – accompanies us today as it did then and is so relevant that it serves as a true guide for our lives.”