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Pope Francis has chosen the Feast of the Annunciation to visit the Italian town of Loreto. Some of the highlights of his pastoral visit include Mass in the Holy House and the signing of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on the Synod on Youth that took place last October.

The event underscores the bond between the Popes, Loreto and young people, as witnessed by the fact that both Saint John Paul II and Benedict XVI also met with young people in Loreto.

This bond goes back much further in time. Loreto was a place of pilgrimage for the likes of Saint John XXIII, Pius II, Paul III, Pius VI, Pius VII, Gregory XVI and Pius IX.