Italy Holds State Funeral for Quake Victims - On Good Friday approved by the Pope
source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/11/world/europe/11italy.html
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L’AQUILA, Italy — Thousands of weeping mourners took part Friday in an emotional funeral Mass for the victims of an earthquake that devastated the mountainous Abruzzo region of central Italy, leaving 289 people dead.
The service was led by the Vatican’s second highest official, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who told the mourners that death teaches us that “everything can stop in a moment.” When everything ends, he said, “All that remains is love.”
Emotions ran very high in the crowd. Sobs could be heard. Friends and family comforted each other while Red Cross volunteers distributed bottles of water to distraught mourners.
The fact that Vatican had granted a special dispensation to hold a Mass on Good Friday, the only day on the Roman Catholic calendar on which Mass is not normally said, added to the emotion of the day. Priests wore flowing white robes draped with purple, the color traditionally worn at Easter and for funerals.
As the service began under partly cloudy skies in a vast parade ground, there were 205 coffins laid out in the vast square, brown for adults and white for children. Most were covered with wreaths of flowers.
The coffins of four young sisters from the Germinelli family lay side by side, bearing their names and dates of birth: Rosa 1992, Michaela 1995, Chiara 1998, Giuseppina 2002. Each had a large bunch of white lilies wrapped in cellophane with a ribbon reading “From Papa.”
“We don’t even have more tears to cry,” said a woman who identified herself only by her first name, Lorella. “We’re realizing we are nothing. Life can slip through your hands from one minute to the next.”
4/10 9:10 AM ET ClipsFC - H
The service was led by the Vatican’s second highest official, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who told the mourners that death teaches us that “everything can stop in a moment.” When everything ends, he said, “All that remains is love.”
Emotions ran very high in the crowd. Sobs could be heard. Friends and family comforted each other while Red Cross volunteers distributed bottles of water to distraught mourners.
The fact that Vatican had granted a special dispensation to hold a Mass on Good Friday, the only day on the Roman Catholic calendar on which Mass is not normally said, added to the emotion of the day. Priests wore flowing white robes draped with purple, the color traditionally worn at Easter and for funerals.
As the service began under partly cloudy skies in a vast parade ground, there were 205 coffins laid out in the vast square, brown for adults and white for children. Most were covered with wreaths of flowers.
The coffins of four young sisters from the Germinelli family lay side by side, bearing their names and dates of birth: Rosa 1992, Michaela 1995, Chiara 1998, Giuseppina 2002. Each had a large bunch of white lilies wrapped in cellophane with a ribbon reading “From Papa.”
“We don’t even have more tears to cry,” said a woman who identified herself only by her first name, Lorella. “We’re realizing we are nothing. Life can slip through your hands from one minute to the next.”
4/10 9:10 AM ET ClipsFC - H
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- Community, World News, News_Featured
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- News, World News, Italy, News_Featured, 4 more
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kennymotown
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Natural disasters are so god like, It makes me wonder what kind of god would kill innocent kids. Thats why I find it ridiculous to worship such an asshole!
- 3 years ago
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kennymotown
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animallovers018
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Tragedy. Prayers go out to all.
- 3 years ago
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animallovers018
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sickinjersey
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hey did you see that story on current. yeah. the pm is going to give up his house to them
- 3 years ago
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sickinjersey
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animallovers018
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sickinjersey:
I saw that was nice of him. Bad times for Italy right now.
- 3 years ago
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animallovers018
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borymp
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Next month is the Giro. I hope they honor the victims continuously through out the race.
- 3 years ago
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borymp
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ClipsFC
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Our prayers are with the families and victims of this disaster.
- 3 years ago
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ClipsFC
