Pope receives earthquake victims

rome - Pope Francis on Thursday received victims of the earthquake in central Italy. 'First the hearts need to be restored and then the houses,' said the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in the audience hall of the Vatican. 'Crying helps relieve the pain, but cry together helps better than alone. heal the wounds, even though the scars remain for a lifetime, 'said Francis.

When the earthquake came in late August in places like Amatrice and Accumoli 299 inhabitants killed. The pope gave in October to visit the region to form a picture of the devastation. The same month the ground shook violently again in the same region, leaving tens of thousands homeless. Many of them, coming from Marche, Lazio, Umbria and Abruzzo, arrived Thursday in audience.

The affected towns and villages still lie in ruins, now covered with a layer of snow. Moreover, it is bitter cold in the area. According to the weather forecast on Friday in Amatrice the mercury drops to 13 degrees below zero.