Italy (AP):

In the shadows of an earthquake-ravaged church, Marisa Giacomo fingered a rosary yesterday as she sat among a pile of plastic bags stuffed with a few hastily salvaged possessions.

"I lost everything, but I still have God," she said stoically as bulldozers cleared away debris from the base of the medieval Anime Sante Church, shorn of its dome in the centre of quake-stricken L'Aquila.

Italy's worst earthquake in three decades reduced some houses of worship to rubble. But in the run-up to Easter, it hasn't crushed believers' faith or their determination to celebrate Holy Week, the most sacred period on the Roman Catholic calendar.

Deep devotion

Underscoring the deep devotion of the faithful across the hard-hit Abruzzo region, where religion is an ingrained part of rural Italians' everyday life, a few priests wandered through a makeshift tent city offering communion wafers to some of the thousands of people displaced by the disaster.

There were plans in the works for Masses for the homeless in L'Aquila and in the quake-damaged village of Sant'Elia. And in the town of Sulmona, famed for its re-enaction each spring of a 14th century passion play recalling the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, residents planned to push ahead with a Good Friday procession through the cobblestone streets.

In his weekly public audience at the Vatican yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI praised the relief operations as an example of how solidarity can help overcome "even the most painful trials."

"As soon as possible, I hope to visit you," the pope, who sent his condolences to the victims earlier this week, told survivors.

Vatican spokesman Rev Federico Lombardi said the visit was expected to take place soon after the Easter Sunday holiday, and that Benedict does not want to interfere with relief operations.

To be sure, not everyone affected by the quake was seeking solace or understanding in faith. Across L'Aquila, there were emotional outbursts as those who lost homes or loved ones wept bitterly and questioned the existence of God.

But there was plenty of piety in evidence even among those who barely escaped with their lives. Some showed surprising resilience and strength of spirit.

In the nearby village of Onna, where 40 of the 300 inhabitants were killed in Monday's quake, survivors were seen carrying decorative crucifixes out of the ruins of their houses. Given a chance to save just a few treasured possessions, many chose the religious items they had used to decorate their homes.