Pope Francis visited an embattled region of Italy on Sunday that has been rebuilt after being devastated by earthquakes five years ago.
The pontiff paid tribute to the works at the Duomo cathedral of Carpi which reopened just last weekend after years of restoration.
'There are those who remain buried in the rubble of life,' the Pope said in his homily before around 20,000 gathered an open-air Mass outside and another 50,000 who watched on large screens throughout the city.
'And there are those, like you, who with the help of God rise from the rubble to rebuild.'
He went on to visit the town of Mirandola and laid flowers at the altar of the cathedral, which is still not open for worship after the 2012 quakes.
He thanked the crowds gathered, which included family members of the victims, 'for the example you gave to all humanity, the example of courage to go ahead.'
The trip was meant to inspire victims of the more recent 2016 quakes which left nearly 300 dead and dozens of town halls, churches, and museums destroyed.
The total damage from the latest earthquakes is estimated at more than €23.5 billion ($25 billion), significantly higher than the €13.5 billion from the 2012 Emilia Romagna earthquakes.
The Bishop of Carpi, Mgr Francesco Cavina, told the Italian Bishops' Conference television TV2000 the visit was 'a sign of hope that rebuilding is possible for the people of central Italy, who unfortunately suffered what we did much more dramatically'.
