SULMONA – “We wait with hope and patience”. This is the statement of Monsignor Fusco. After requests and meetings, everything seems to remain unanswered and, in the meantime, the structures have deteriorated, increasing damage, in some cases irreparable.
The heartfelt appeal of the Bishop of Sulmona-Valva Monsignor Michele Fusco, launched last May 1st in Cocullo on the occasion of the feast of San Domenico, seems to have remained unheard. Everything is silent, or almost. Also for this reason the Prelate, breaking all hesitation, decided to return to the thorny topic.
During his pastoral visits, still ongoing, to all the Municipalities of the Diocese, he also had the opportunity to collect reports and pressing requests from citizens, mayors, local administrators and priests who urged him to restore important, significant places of aggregation and faith like churches, to be returned to worship and attendance.
It should be included among these “reports”. the Church of Santa Maria della Pace in Capestrano, in the province of L’Aquila. Located in the main square of the town, “La Parrocchiale”, large and voluminous, is enriched by a spectacular bell tower with an onion spire. Of Baroque architecture, it is the result of the expansion of an ancient church, then, located outside the walls which inside contains and encloses treasures of the highest art and testimonies of faith. Together with the magnificent San Pietro ad Oratorium and the Piccolomini Castle, it represents a source of pride and tourist attraction for Capestrano and the entire Val Tritana. Closed after the devastating and painful earthquake of 2019, the Church awaits to be able to return to its former splendor and usability.
In 2017, the regional secretariat allocated 2,400,000.00 euros for the works for the damage caused by the 2009 earthquake. Since no planning had been made by the competent office, the diocese began to prepare the projects. Having also recognized the worsening of the damage with the 2016 earthquake, at the end of 2022 another 2,599,960.38 were allocated by the Commissioner for reconstruction.
The project for its restoration received authorization from the Civil Engineers and was then delivered to the competent offices for approval in October 2020 and then subsequently updated in August of last year. The authorizations are still awaited even though the days required by law for issuing the opinion have passed.
What do you expect? Why this delay? Why these incomprehensible hitches. This is just one example, not the only one, of the many cases involving one hundred or more churches and sacred places to be saved and returned to the community. We will periodically raise the issue again until our “voice” and the legitimate request of many, many citizens and administrators is answered and we act accordingly and quickly, tangibly and concretely.
