Pope John Paul is visiting parts of central Italy which were devastated by earthquakes last September.

His first stop was the village of Annifo where he was met by crowds of local people.

The Pope prayed in a prefabricated chapel built since the earthquake before moving on to another badly-hit mountain village, Cesi.

There he was due to meet more of those made homeless by the earthquake before concluding his tour with a visit to the shrine of St Francis in Assisi.

Four people died when the roof of the basilica collapsed in September, damaging priceless frescoes.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
 

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