Damaged cathedral symbolizes NZ city's anguish

By STEVE McMORRAN
The Associated Press
Saturday, February 26, 2011

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand -- For 130 years, Christchurch Cathedral stood at the center of its city as a graceful monument to its heritage and civic pride. Now, with its spire decapitated by an earthquake, it has become a symbol of the city's anguish.

Tuesday's 6.3-magnitude earthquake that killed at least 145 people in New Zealand left the Anglican cathedral's once-stately bell tower in ruins, possibly with an additional 22 people lying dead in the rubble.

"The cathedral is the heart of the city, and the city has a broken heart," the building's dean, Peter Beck, said while looking at the damage. the rest