NAPLES, 23 July, 2024
Franklin Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association are working with more than 300 evangelical churches in southern Italy to bring the Noi Festival to Naples this fall.
“This city is such an important and beautiful part of Italy,” said Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA). “I am looking forward to coming to Naples, but I’m not going to preach a message about religion. I’m coming to share how the people of Italy can have a real and personal relationship with God.”
All are welcome to attend the free and family-friendly event, which will feature live music at the Piazza del Plebiscito at 6:30 p.m. on 14 September.
The mayor of Naples, Prof. Gaetano Manfredi, recently attended one of the preparation meetings for the Noi Festival. He said, “I am with you in this great initiative for the city of Naples that we believe is very important! That is why as an administration we are very committed and are collaborating for the success of the Noi Festival. Naples is ready to welcome Reverend Franklin Graham’s message of hope in our great Piazza del Plebiscito.”
This will be the third consecutive year that Franklin Graham will preach in Italy. The Noi Festival came to Milan in 2022 and Rome in 2023. Those historic events were attended by a total of 23,000 people—the largest evangelical outreaches in Italy’s modern history.
Thousands of people throughout the Campania region and beyond are now preparing for the Noi Festival in Naples this fall, which will feature live music from Christian singer and Latin Grammy-winner Christine D’Clario as well as award-winning artist Charity Gayle.
“Naples, a city filled with rich history and culture, yearns for lasting peace and a just future. While it has faced challenges in the past, a resilient spirit is burning strong within its people. This hope for a better tomorrow resonates deeply, mirroring many of the anxieties and struggles felt across the globe. I believe this event is exactly what Naples needs to truly flourish,” says Antonio Marino, assistant festival director of the Noi Festival. “I have seen firsthand the incredible impact the Noi Festival had on the people of both Milan and Rome, and I am excited for Franklin Graham to share the powerful and life-changing message of God’s love in Italy once again.”
For more information, visit noifestival.it.
ABOUT FRANKLIN GRAHAM AND THE BILLY GRAHAM EVANGELISTIC ASSOCIATION
Founded by Billy Graham in 1950, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association shares the Good News of Jesus Christ around the world. During his ministry, Billy Graham preached to nearly 215 million people through hundreds of evangelistic events. Franklin Graham is continuing the lifelong work of his father, and since his first event in 1989, he has held more than 325 outreaches in 55 countries. Earlier this year, Franklin Graham preached in Mexico City, Mexico; Krakow, Poland; Birmingham, England; Glasgow, Scotland; and 10 cities along the U.S.-Mexico border.
In addition to serving as president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Franklin Graham also leads Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization that was the first to provide emergency medical relief in northern Italy at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through its emergency field hospital in Cremona, Samaritan’s Purse treated hundreds of suffering patients, which later opened the door for Franklin Graham to return to Milan where he preached in October 2022.
Franklin Graham was honored for this work at the Italian Senate in Rome last year. He was given a gift during a special ceremony with Senate Majority Leader Lucio Malan and thanked for deploying a field hospital and medical teams to help save the lives of hundreds of Italians. Currently, Samaritan’s Purse is responding to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and the organization is continuing to provide aid in war-torn Ukraine, where Samaritan’s Purse has helped 14.5 million people so far.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
Download Video and Photos
To download high-resolution photos and b-roll, visit: media.billygraham.org/noi-festival-napoli-2024-press-room-italian/
MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES
- Starting 26 August: Antonio Marino will be available for interviews and preview stories. Marino has worked with hundreds of churches in Naples, Rome and Milan as BGEA’s team leader and assistant tour director in Italy. He also served as a chaplain at the Samaritan’s Purse field hospital in Cremona in 2020.
- 3:00pm on Friday, 13 September: Franklin Graham and the mayor of Naples, Gaetano Manfredi, will be available at a press conference at the Municipio.
- 6:30pm on 14 September: Journalists are invited to attend the Noi Festival at the Piazza del Plebiscito. Audio connections and a workspace will be provided.
MEDIA CONTACT
To RSVP or request an interview, contact Ufficio Stampa Testori Comunicazione at +39 346 6165338, a.testori@testoricomunicazione.it.