(24 March 2016) "Roncalli reads Roncalli: private letters by Pope John XXIII,” scheduled for 6 April in Prague at the Baroque chapel of the Italian Cultural Institute of the city (Vlašská 34 118 00), is a recital for voice and cello that will give the public the opportunity to see under a different light the "Good Pope." In the year of the Jubilee of Mercy, and just one year after the sanctification of Pope John XXIII, Guido and Diego Roncalli- descendants of the Roncalli family - decided to celebrate the "Good Pope" with a recital that retraces the highlights of the Saint’s earthly parable. The one-act recital will see Guido Roncalli read the most famous speeches by Pope John XXIII as well as his unpublished letters, taken from the Guido Roncalli family archive, accompanied by Diego Roncalli, a professional cellist, performing JS Bach’s Cello Suites. During the recital, in the background will be screened unpublished photographs of Angelo Roncalli and his cousin Guido, grandfather of the two artists, pictures also belonging to the family archive. This is a new, exciting, theatrical way to honor one of the most incisive and most popular figures of the 20th century. (Red)

THE TOUR

For the Jubilee of Mercy, the recital is a unique opportunity to remember and celebrate the life of St. John XXIII, made even more topical by the Pontificate of Pope Francis, so similar in the proximity to the poor and ecumenical spirit to that of Pope John. The recital "Roncalli reads Roncalli" is currently touring: brought in the significant locations of St. John XXIII’s life - Vatican City, Rome, Venice, Loreto, and Assisi - as well as other cities like Milan, Turin, Genoa, Verona, Ancona in Italy, and abroad in Sofia, Monte Carlo, Paris and and Prague. The show is sponsored by the Presidency of the Republic, Parliament, the Presidency of the Council, the Ministry of Heritage and Culture, as well as various local institutions and the Holy See.