ROME — The Italian postal service has seen an enormous improve in mail addressed to Pope Francis since his Feb. 14 hospitalization, with some letters clearly written by kids, bearing stamps from all over the world and easily addressed to the pope at “Gemelli Hospital” in Rome.
Postal staff kind the mail into large yellow packing containers, labeled “Papa Francesco.” Every day hospital staff come to take the letters away to verify they get to the 88-year-old Francis on the tenth ground hospital suite the place he’s recovering from double pneumonia.
The mail arrives first on the major sorting middle at Rome’s Fiumicino airport, the place it’s checked to verify it’s protected to be delivered.
Usually, the Vatican receives round 100 kilograms (220 kilos) of mail a day, mentioned Antonello Chidichimo, the director of the Fiumicino sorting middle.
“Lately, we’ve had peaks of 150 kilos (330 kilos). Naturally this consists of mail arriving from overseas,” he instructed The Related Press. “We’ve got additionally seen that many of those letters have been written by kids.”
As soon as cleared at Fiumicino, the mail is distributed to the Belsito distribution middle in Rome. In an enormous sorting space, it’s divided right into a mechanized sector with noisy machines, conveyor belts and optical readers, and a quieter one the place the submit is sorted manually and put into pigeon holes by staff.
Addresses fluctuate significantly, with some letters destined for “Gemelli” and others appropriately despatched to “Casa Santa Marta” in Vatican Metropolis, the place the pope selected to reside after his election in 2013, as a substitute of within the papal residence within the Apostolic Palace.
A number of the letters are ornately written in calligraphic script, whereas others have tackle labels printed by pc. However many are within the writing of very younger kids.
“It isn’t an on a regular basis expertise to should kind by way of and ship letters addressed to the Holy Father,” mentioned Andrea Di Tommaso who’s in command of the Belsito distribution middle. He mentioned the large improve in mail for the pope has been a deeply shifting expertise.
“We hope he will get higher quickly,” he mentioned.
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