Pope: Reconstruction of earthquake-hit central Italy must be sustainable

By Lisa Zengarini

Pope Francis has praised local authorities of Italy's central Apennines regions for their joint efforts to rebuild their territories devastated by earthquakes in 2016-2017.

On Friday morning, the Pope welcomed to the Vatican a group of mayors and civil authorities of cities included in the so-called “seismic crater," which was severely hit by a destructive seismic sequence from 24 August 2016 to January 2017. The area covers the Abruzzo, Lazio, Umbria and Marche regions.

Rebuilding our common home

While renewing his closeness to the victims and all those affected by the earthquakes, Pope Francis praised the Italian local authorities for their joint efforts to make sure that the reconstruction process responds to the criteria of social and environmental sustainability and protects the environment, while taking into account current climate changes.

“In recent years, you have shown that the spirit of collaboration can overcome obstacles and uncertainties by building an ‘us’ that inhabits ‘our common home’  so that something new resurges from the rubble," he said.

Recalling his Encyclical Letter ‘Laudato si’’, Pope Francis noted that adopting adequate sustainability criteria is “an important act of justice and charity, because it aims to satisfy needs without compromising the safety and survival of those around us and those who will come after us.”

Sustainability helps contrast demographic decline

The Pope commended in particular the efforts carried out to ensure that “the needs linked to economic growth and technical development are integrated with those of a good quality of life, both for individuals and for communities."

“This means putting the person back at the center and is the way forward," he said, remarking that the path of sustainable development can also help to stem the growing demographic decline in the Apennine region.

Protecting the unique beauty of the landscapes in central Italy

Pope Francis then delved into the protection of the environment in what he described as some of the most beautiful regions of Italy, known across the world for the charm of their landscapes and of their ancient villages and towns, which, he noted, express a “model of harmony between the work of God and that of man.”

The Pope therefore encouraged the Italian local administrators to transform the reconstruction process into an opportunity “to remedy the mistakes of the past” by planning development projects “in a different way," including the Italian hydrogeological instability that is now accentuated by climate change.

Helping local communities adapt to climate change

In this regard, while reaffirming the appeal expressed in his recent Apostolic Exhortation “Laudate Deum” to swiftly implement measures against global warming, the Pope insisted on the need to help local communities adapt to the new extreme weather patterns caused by climate change.

He offered the example of "taking greater care in cleaning the woods and the beds of rivers and streams; reducing and discouraging the overbuilding of the territory; and introducing new types of crops and livestock species in the agricultural sector, with appropriate investments for the years to come."

Here too, the Pope insisted that we must have “an open gaze, attentive to others and to those who will come after us, not letting ourselves be discouraged by criticism or discontent."

Bringing his speech to a close, Pope Francis reiterated his closeness to those who have lost their loved ones and livelihoods in the 2016–2017 earthquakes, and expressed appreciation for the work carried out so far.  

“The path to post-seismic reconstruction is long and certainly not easy, but I really appreciate the fact that the spirit with which you face it is good, that you are determined, and that the ideas are clear," he concluded.