NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      ROME (CWNews.com) - St. Francis Basilica in Assisi will reopen in time for Jubilee Year celebrations, although some repairs to earthquake damage will still be ongoing, restorers said on Friday.

      More than 168 square yards of frescoes painted by Giotto and Cimabue along with a piece of the ceiling in the upper church were damaged by the September 26, 1997 earthquake which also killed two friars. Head restorer Guiseppe Basile said less than 20 percent of the frescoes had been reassembled so visitors will instead see images of the paintings projected onto the walls and ceiling.

      "People will look up at the ceilings and see virtual copies of the original paintings" projected from slides, said Antonio Paolucci, a former cultural minister now in charge of the restoration project. Some 12 million pilgrims -- three times the usual number -- are expected to visit the basilica in 2000.