February 28, 2013. (Romereports.com) The trip to Rome for these Italian miners has been a year in the making. They were excited to have a scheduled meeting with the Pope. But what they didn't know was that they would be taking part in his last public audience.

SERGIO ALIBONI
Retired Miner
“Today we came to Rome to see the Pope, also because we want to be a witness of the brotherhood and friendship in the world. Unfortunately, we saw the Pope through television, we were not able to speak with him.”

They wanted to give him this brass lamp, which for them is the symbol of a miner. The number 262 marks the miners that were killed in an accident in Brussels, more than 50 years ago.


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