Pope to visit central Italy region hit by earthquake

Pope to visit quake-hit area in central Italy

ONNA, Italy — Pope Benedict XVI will visit the region in central Italy devastated by an earthquake that killed nearly 300 people earlier this month.

Benedict’s first stop Tuesday will be the village of Onna, which was virtually leveled and where around 40 of the hamlet’s 300 residents were killed by the 6.3-magnitude temblor that struck April 6.

“I’m happy the pope is coming but he can’t take away our suffering,” said Onna resident Maria Pia Falasca, whose house was destroyed and whose friends lost children and other relatives.

In L’Aquila, the regional capital, the pontiff will visit the ruins of the 13th-century Santa Maria di Collemaggio basilica, the symbol of the city whose roof caved in during the quake. He is expected to pray before the salvaged remains of Pope Celestine V, the 13th-century hermit and saint who was the only pope to resign.

He will also stop at a collapsed student dorm in L’Aquila and greet civil protection crews who are caring for the thousands of people living in tents, before returning to the Vatican.

Among the civil protection workers awaiting the pope was Germana D’Onofrio, who cooks meals for the homeless. “I feed the body and the pope feeds the spirit,” she said.

The pontiff had been scheduled to fly to the area by helicopter, but heavy winds and rains forced the Vatican to scrap that plan. Benedict was being driven instead.

The quake claimed 296 lives, drove some 50,000 from their homes and toppled or heavily damaged thousands of buildings in the Abruzzo region in the Apennine mountains.