Biagio Conte: Rai1 to broadcast film on Palermo's humanitarian figure

Rai1 will broadcast a television film titled ‘Sul cammino di Francesco – La vita di Biagio Conte’ on Sunday, October 11. The film, directed by Costanza Quatriglio, depicts the life of Biagio Conte, a man from a wealthy entrepreneurial family in Palermo who underwent a spiritual crisis and chose a radical life of service to the marginalized.

Conte, often referred to as the ‘Saint Francis of Palermo,’ left his life of privilege in 1990 to live as a hermit before embarking on a pilgrimage to Assisi. Inspired by Saint Francis, he returned to Palermo to live among the homeless near the Central Station. In 1991, he founded the Missione di Speranza e Carità (Mission of Hope and Charity), an organization that provides aid to the poor, migrants, and the elderly.

The mission gained international recognition, including a visit from Pope Francis in 2018. Conte passed away from colon cancer on January 12, 2023, at the age of 59, receiving condolences from both the Pope and Italian President Sergio Mattarella.