Vatican News, the news agency of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, has published excerpts of a papal message for the reopening of the earthquake-ravaged Basilica of St. Benedict in Norcia, Italy.
In the message, signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, Pope Leo described the reopening as “a sign of religious rebirth.” The basilica’s reconstruction, added the message, was “deeply felt and long awaited by many people, not only in Umbria but also in Italy and other countries.”