Earthquake in Central Italy, six years later: Mass in memory of the victims in Amatrice

"Amatrice

is called the 'city of the Italians'. And with good reason. Because, if it were not for the instant solidarity of so many women and men, already at the tragic dawn of six years ago, many would not be here today". words the

, opened the ceremony to commemorate the

caused by

in

. , Abruzzo, Umbria and Marche), destroying entire villages and causing the death of 239 people in the municipality of Amatrice alone, in the Reatino area, which became a symbol of that tragedy.

“Concrete and immediate solidarity - continued Pompili - has spread beyond national borders, as in Germany.

Today we are here to say

;

to say thank you to Italy because through his state he has generously disposed of resources, so that life can be reborn.

We say thank you thinking of those who disappeared in a flash six years ago.

And we are here after the night vigil to live the Eucharist which is the most incredible thanksgiving ”.

It was from Amatrice that the commemoration ceremony started during the night, with the

started at 24 from the Tilesi sports field and reached what remains of the bell tower of the church of San Domenico, at the gates of the red zone of the still destroyed historic center, where the 239 tolling of the bells recovered from the rubble resounded in silence, with the reading, one by one, the names of the victims.

“In fact, it is a question of giving thanks to God - said Pompili - for the death and resurrection of his Son, so that hope with a capital 'S' takes hold in our life.

It is this faith that pushes us to believe that those bonds that constitute the solid ground of our community do not dissolve, but find life in God ”.

The ceremony is held in the Tilesi sports field, where the highest local and regional authorities are present and, on behalf of the government, the

who declared: “On this day we remember first of all the victims of the earthquake that struck these territories six years ago and, as a government, we want to be even closer to their families.

But today it was equally important, as Monsignor Pompili recalled in his homily, to come and see the path of restart, of reconstruction, of projection towards the future that has been made in recent years.

The commitment of everyone, citizens, institutions, companies, the world of volunteering, has served and will continue to be needed to complete what has been started and to make these splendid places attractive also for young people, also becoming a symbol for a rediscovery of the internal areas of the our country".

In the afternoon, at 5 pm, the religious function will be officiated in

, a town in the province of Rieti which was the epicenter of the earthquake of 24 August 2016, where the 11 victims of the village will be remembered.

Religious commemoration ceremonies will also be celebrated in the nearby towns of Arquata and Pescara del Tronto, in the Marche region, which were razed to the ground during earthquakes.