Rome needs care to avert degradation Pope tells city hall

(ANSA) - Rome, March 26 - Pope Francis said Rome needs special attention to prevent it slipping into a state of degradation as he visited city hall on the Capitoline Hill on Tuesday. "Rome is a delicate organism, which needs humble, constant care and creative courage to keep it tidy and liveable, so that all this splendor does not decline, and instead the accumulation of past glories can been added to the contribution of new generations with their specific ingenuity, their initiatives and their good projects," the pope said after being welcomed by Mayor Virginia Raggi. Raggi's 5-Star Movement (M5S) administration is trying to get to grips with many major problems for the city, including issues with its transport system and trash management. The pontiff said that the administration needed "appropriate legislative instruments and adequate resources" to tackle the "complex" task of governing the capital.
    He also called on city councillors to seek to bring about the "moral and spiritual rebirth of the city".