Diary from L'Aquila

The crystal container of San Pietro Celestino is extracted intact from the ruins of his mausoleum. I watch on TV, with a huge joy, tears of joy as when someone living is saved from the ruins, and that someone is a Father. He has his wonderful slippers on, the garments of his papal crowning, and my heart jumps when I see he is taken out through the Holy Door. It is highly symbolic to me, though I am not really a regular churchgoer. Celestino never passed through the door, which was built decades after his death, and is open only 24 hours each year from the vespers of the 28th and the vespers of the 29th August. It may be the first time in history that Celestino's body passes this door, the first time in this Week of Passion before Easter, in the Year of the Lord 2009. "... and here's rejoice ...". The wise, saint hermit appears to me hovering over the wounded city, as in the stained glass artwork which was in the Museo Nazionale in the castle, where he has a miniature L'Aquila on his palm, and shows the city to God and to the Virgin Mary.

And in my imagination I form the vision of Celestino bargaining with God. As with disease, God explains that He does not send cancer, it is biology and genetics and people's free will that bring cancer. God explains that the earthquake must come, the laws of physics require an earthquake to come, so Celestino obtains a special time of the year, a special time of the day.

Cynics would say it is coincidence... on other occasions, if I had not been in the frontline, I would have called them all coincidence. There were so many coincidences that saved more hundreds, possibly thousands of people.

He obtains the so many lighter shocks that warned us for 3 months that there WAS danger; but most did not listen, no controls were made apart from schools after the 30 march shake. A great many people were sleeping in cars, and they were saved. It was 3 hours past midnight, all the locals and cinemas were closed, no concentration of people whatsoever.

Many have said, if it happened in the morning, with the offices and shops and streets full, on a day when schools will not be closed, the death toll would be in the 4-digit range.

Many, many students - but not everyone, unfortunately unfortunately not everyone - had already returned home before the Palm Sunday so this period of the year, the coming Easter holidays DID save them.

But Celestino was also worried for the souls of his dear flock. A very great number go to church on Palm Sunday, to take the holy palm leaves (actually olive branches) that will protect their family throughout the year. More people go to Mass on Palm Sunday than on Easter Day, more people have been confessed, taken communion. If they are to be sacrificed anyway, if their moment is coming, the souls will be clean, repentant, ready, Celestino has obtained this for them, as also convicts in the death row are given the chance of trusting their souls to God.