Bassetti said in his opening address that “our task as pastors today is configured above all as a work of reconciliation.” It is the task of pastors, in particular, he said, to be the voice of those who are fragile and vulnerable, “so that no one is left alone.”

Part of rebuilding the country after the pandemic means working for the social inclusion of the poor and requires the ability to have a true dialogue and foster social friendship, he said, telling his fellow bishops that the task of reconciliation must be pursued at all levels of the current crisis.