The funeral of little Anna Rosa Bartolotta, who died of diphtheria, was celebrated in Palermo

The funeral of Anna Rosa Bartolotta was celebrated this morning, 31 August, in the church of San Filippo Neri allo Zen in Palermo.

The function was officiated by Father Giovanni Giannalia, parish priest of Zen. Friends and relatives rallied around father Emanuele and mother Manuela.

"It helps the gaze of faith a lot to know - said the priest - that this little girl who events have torn so violently from her family lives and is like a little angel who still protects us from heaven, that we already have a continuing relationship with her and that we will see her again and we will be together in heaven. This is a source of great comfort. Our parish community immediately became close to the family. The weight, including the media one, fell on the family - underlined Father Giannalia - and made them close like a clam. But we have overcome this impasse. We speak the same language. This event on our part is above all, try to console them and support them with a beautiful photo of the little girl in which she is right at the seaside, with the sea behind her and she looks like a little angel as she raises her hands."

The autopsy carried out at the Institute of Forensic Medicine of the Palermo Polyclinic confirmed the presence of a serious and widespread infection in the little girl's body. The medical-legal investigations will now have to contribute to reconstructing in detail the succession of events that led to death.

On the investigation front, the Palermo prosecutor's office, in addition to the parents, under investigation for manslaughter, also registered eight doctors from the Civico health company who visited and treated the little girl between 13 and 19 August in the crime register. For health workers, registration at this stage represents an act of guarantee, which occurs after the complaint presented by the parents and is necessary to allow them to appoint their own consultants and participate in the unrepeatable checks.