ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV sought Thursday to console the families of Italian teenagers who were killed or injured in the New Year's fire in a Swiss ski resort bar, acknowledging their anguish and urging them to try to find hope in “the darkest and most painful moments” of their lives.
Leo met with around two dozen relatives of the Italian victims in the Vatican, deviating from his prepared speech to tell them that he had immediately agreed to meet with them after learning of their desire to have an audience.
“I wanted at least to have the opportunity to share a moment that for you, amid so much pain and suffering, is truly a test of our faith, a test of what we believe,” he told them.
The families later met with Italian government officials, who have demanded justice and a full accounting of the horrific fire during a New Year's Eve party at the Alpine resort that killed 40 people, most of them youngsters, and injured another 116.
Six of the dead and 13 of the injured were Italian citizens, and their plight has been followed closely by ordinary Italians and government officials alike.
Leo acknowledged his words were “limited and powerless” to ease the parents' pain, but he urged them to rely on their faith to find hope going forward.
“The faith that dwells in us illuminates the darkest and most painful moments of our lives with an irreplaceable light, helping us to continue courageously on our journey toward our goal,” he said.
The fire in the Le Constellation bar, in the southwest Crans-Montana resort, is believed to have been ignited by sparkling candles that came too close to the ceiling, which was fitted with soundproofing material.
The bar's owners are suspected of involuntary homicide, involuntary bodily harm and involuntarily causing a fire. French and Italian prosecutors have opened investigations, in addition to the Swiss probe.
Italy is planning to join the Swiss investigation as a civil party so it has access to the court files and can help support Italian families as they navigate the Swiss judicial system, which is outside the European Union’s network of judicial cooperation, government officials said Thursday.
The aim is to have Italy and the Italian victims speak with a unified voice, Alfredo Mantovano, a senior government official, told reporters after meeting with the families.
Italy is also planning to ask the European Commission to join the case as a civil party to bolster that effort, especially given the significant financial resources that the Italian state is spending to care for the Italian victims and support their families, he said.
Alessandro Vaccaro, a lawyer representing the family of Emanuele Galeppini, a promising golfer who was killed in the blaze, thanked the government for the support on behalf of the other families of victims.
“We are dealing with a country that isn’t part of the European economic community, so speaking with a unified voice will bring results,” he told a press conference. The goal, he stressed, was to ascertain facts of what happened.
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who briefed lawmakers on the investigation on Tuesday, described the disaster as “open wound” for the entire country. He said Italy would demand “full clarity” over what he said was “negligent behavior that is obvious to the eyes of everyone.”
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