Pope to meet survivors of Italian earthquakes

Remains of Basilica of St Benedict

Pope Francis will meet victims of the devastating earthquakes that struck central Italy last year, on Thursday, 5 January, the Vigil of Epiphany.

Nearly 300 people were killed in an earthquake that struck near the town of Amatrice on August 24. Just over two months later, a series of quakes struck the same region, including a magnitude 6.6 earthquake on October 30 - the largest quake to strike Italy in over thirty years. Only two people died in the October quakes, although a number of towns, including Norcia, the birthplace of Saints Benedict and Scholastica, suffered serious damage.

The Archbishop of Spoleto-Norcia, Renato Boccardo, said the meeting with the Pope at the Vatican "is dedicated especially to those who lost their loved ones, their homes, their economic security, those who have been displaced from their land." The Pope, he said, wanted to welcome especially those who, in different ways, have been wounded by the quakes, and who are looking for "consolation and hope."

Approximately 800 people from the diocese, with their Archbishop and their pastors, will take part in the audience. Representatives of the civil authorities leading rebuilding efforts will also be present. The pastor of the Abbey of St Eutizio near the town of Preci will address the Holy Father in the name of all those present.

A press release from the Archdiocese said the meeting will strengthen the local church in its principle task following the earthquake. The Church, it said, is called primarily to support "the interior-moral renewal of the people." To that end, a further important gathering will take place next Sunday, when the Archbishop of Perugia-Città della Pieve, Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, will celebrate Mass for earthquake victims in the village of San Pellegrino di Norcia.

Source: Vatican Radio