(Finance) – All the air transport sector met Pope Francis today during theprivate audience which took place in the Paul VI Hall, organized byNational Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC)together with Pontifical Delegation of the Holy House of Loreto. The hearing was attended by representatives of all the operators that make up the civil aviation system, from airlines, to airports, industry, air navigation companies, military aeronautics, handling companies. Also present were representatives of the international organizations of the sector (ICAO, ECAC, EASA, EUROCONTROL, European Commission), of politics and of national institutions, as well as of public / private subjects and associations of the sector.
The Holy Father – ENAC said in a note – wanted to personally participate in the meeting with the more than 3 thousand representatives of national and international civil aviation. “Civil aviation – he said Pope francesco – it has contributed to the development of the contemporary world, bringing distant peoples closer to each other and making them known. With your work you offer an indispensable service to the nation and citizens, contributing considerably to developing their European and global vocation. Faced with the recurring temptation to go back to erecting national barriers, it stands out even more that your work is at the service of encounter and brotherhood. Aviation is friendship, it is encounter! “.
“This civil aviation – he said addressing Pope Francis the president of ENAC, Pierluigi Di Palma – it is a community committed to fostering an open fraternity, which makes it possible to recognize, appreciate and love every person beyond physical proximity, beyond the place in the world where they were born and where they live. Ours is the culture of encounter, because we are aware of the intimate interconnection that exists between all the peoples of the Earth. And today we are ready, after Covid, to restart the air bridges that connect the universe, convinced supporters of peace and the necessary inclusion of all countries “.
The hearing was also an opportunity to formalize theinstitution of 8 October, the anniversary of the Linate accident, as the National Day “Not to forget”, to promote transport safety. “The Day of Remembrance – he explained Of Palma – it was established at the behest of the Parliament, thanks also to the determination of Mrs Raffaella Paita,
President of the Transport Commission of the Chamber of Deputies: already this year, October 8 will be celebrated “.
“With the Papal Audience – declared the director general of Enac Alessio Quaranta – we ideally continue the path started with the Lauretan Jubilee (December 2019 – December 2021) granted by the Holy Father Pope Francis on the occasion of the centenary of the proclamation of the Madonna of Loreto as patroness of aviators. Civil aviation, by its nature, is an instrument of union of peoples. As evidence of the universal nature of air transport, the national and international leaders of the sector have welcomed the invitation to participate in this choral meeting which, under the blessing of the Holy Father, gathers a wide representation from the whole world of aviation. After a period of general crisis, the hope is that of a quick return to normalcy, to regain familiarity with the journey and resume flying in serenity “.