NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- A year after the earthquakes which shook the Umbrian region, the facade of the famous Franciscan Basilica at Assisi has been fully restored.

      L'Osservatore Romano today mentioned that the scaffolding which has surrounded the basilica for months has been removed. The restoration was completed in time for the celebration of the feast of St. Francis on October 4.

      Restoration work is still continuing inside the basilica, however. The vault of the building collapsed in a second tremor, killing two technicians and two Franciscan monks. The reconstruction of that area will take several more months. And an even more painstaking process in underway: the effort to reassemble the pieces of frescoes by Giotto which were shattered by the earthquakes.

      Scaffolds still remain at the rear of the building, and in the crypt where the tomb of St. Francis is found. Tourists and visitors are not yet allowed in the basilica.

      The neighboring basilica dedicated to St. Clare is also surrounded by scaffolding, as restoration work continues there. But that building was less severely damaged, and tourists are allowed to visit.