Holy Mass at the Basilica of S. Ambrogio

Here is the speech of the 8 October President of the Committee not to forget, Adele Scarani, on the occasion of Holy Mass

 

Your Excellency, dear friends,

 

I want to greet and thank you all.

 

With heartfelt thanks, I want to share the words of the poet Mariangela Gualtieri, who with her poem "Giving thanks... " indicates the path of gratitude towards the source where everything begins.

 

 

“…

I want to give thanks for love,

which lets us see others as God sees them,

for bread and salt,

for the mystery of the rose

that generously offers its color and does not see it.

….

I want to give thanks for the art of friendship

For the words that were said in the twilight

From one cross to another…

 

For our dearly departed

Who make death an inhabited place.

…

I want to give thanks for the beauty of words, the abstract nature of God

…

For the quiet of the home

For children who are our domestic deities

For the soul, because it consoles my restless wandering...

 

I want to give thanks

for the great power of enduring love

for love that moves the sun and the other stars

and moves everything in us …”

 

Well, here I am.

I want to thank all of you for your vital, affectionate, numerous presence: a reciprocal, vibrant support in memory of our loved ones.

 

I want to thank His Excellency, Monsignor Franco Buzzi, and all the concelebrant priests who officiated Holy Mass, a time of communion and intimate prayer.

 

I want to thank Mayor Giuseppe Sala: the Linate tragedy of 18 years ago wounded the entire city and your participation is the participation of the city.

 

I want to thank all the religious, civilian and military authorities and all those who keep the memory alive through their efforts.

 

I want to thank the La Verdi Children's Choir whose music makes our prayer vibrant again this year.

 

I want to warmly greet Pasquale Padovano and remember our dear Paolo with intense emotion.

 

Eighteen years have passed since that tragic October 8, 2001. Our lives, irreparably changed, have continued, intertwining with one another. Our children have grown up. And they have given us their children. A few dear friends are no longer with us.

But we know that "Those we have loved and lost are no longer where they were, but are everywhere we are." (Saint Augustine)

 

Our loved ones are always in our hearts, just as they were on the very first day.

 

Being able to gather so numerous, united in memory and in prayer, we are stronger and consoled, and this encourages us to continue our commitment.

 

For our loved ones — the innocent victims of errors, delays, and inexperience — we continue to fight to keep the promise we made and to try to make sense of this tragedy. Our commitment is to never forget: to never forget that errors, delays, and inexperience are threats that corrupt correct, responsible and sound actions. Our shared sorrow has not hardened our hearts: it has fueled an extraordinary energy and has been transformed into action, commitment, courage and generosity.

 

Yes, generosity, because our mission is to focus on prevention to prevent similar tragedies, with their burden of pain, from ever happening again.

 

Our watchword has become: safety, safety, safety.

Flight safety and support for passenger protection. Family assistance ... which says everything.

 

Our work has been fruitful this year as well.

 

We family members have often been directly involved in round table discussions, conventions, and meetings, and we have been invited to share our experience.

The memory is always very touching, moving and, believe me, emotionally difficult …

But we do it for our loved ones…to never forget.

 

We always try to be on the front line, spreading the culture of safety — which we did not have — and we are proud of having acquired authority and always being appreciated and sought after, even internationally, around the globe.

 

We interact with various institutions responsible for aviation safety and we provide studies, assessments, and consultation in the various possible fields of intervention. 

 

We continue, also with the help of skilled and experienced people, to collaborate with those who provide assistance to victims and to the families of victims in the event of an accident.  

 

Trying to be ready to face an emergency is a duty, a civil and humanitarian duty. And what more direct and reliable testimony is there than our personal experiences of what we did not have and what is instead needed?

 

Soon we will go to our "Bosco dei Faggi", a place of peace, serenity and remembrance.

May this forest, with its tall trees, always have a profound meaning for us.

 

I thank you and love you all.

 

 

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