Bishop of Carpi: We wait for Pope with "hope in our hearts"
(Vatican Radio) “We wait for the Pope with hope in our hearts, and the certainty of
faith,” said Bishop Francesco Cavina, of the Diocese of Carpi.
Bishop Cavina
was scheduled to welcome Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday, during his visit to Emilia
Romagna. His diocese was the hardest hit by two earthquakes on May 20th
and 29th, which killed 24 people, and left thousands homeless. Forty-seven
of the churches in the diocese were extensively damaged, and one priest was killed.
Bishop
Cavina told Vatican radio all the clergy of the diocese were heroes during the disaster.
“They
were all at their posts, and many of them organized first aid for their people,” he
said. “Relief efforts were even organized in athletic fields and those few structures
which were left standing…this is where the tent cities began to rise up, around the
parish, or in parish own properties. This shows the love, esteem, and gratitude of
the people – believers and unbelievers – towards their priests.”
The Holy Father
was scheduled to visit Rovereto di Novi, the parish where Father Ivo Martini was killed
by a falling beam in his church.
“This has been a source of anguish,” said
Bishop Cavina. “I freely admit that I feel the fatigue of the moment, but I am comforted
by the affection of the many priests and faithful I have met during this journey.
Together we will succeed.”