At the sanctuary of Strà a literary bench dedicated to St. John Paul II was inaugurated thanks to the Municipality of Alta Val Tidone which has already located four others throughout the municipal territory and will soon install two more in Busseto and Sala Mandelli.

The bench bears a famous phrase of the pope, proclaimed a saint in 2014. The phrase is the one pronounced at the beginning of his pontificate, on October 22, 1978: “Do not be afraid! Open, indeed, open wide the doors to Christ!” “St. John Paul II – recalled the councilor Simona Traversone – was the Pope who more than any other approached the people”.

The bench is placed in front of the statue that depicts his features. Inside the sanctuary there is instead a relic of him.