Italian President Giorgio Napolitano has attended a memorial mass in Rome for the victims of last month's Costa Concordia shipwreck and expressed ''regret'' for any blame ascribed to his compatriots.
''It was a tragedy and I express regret for whatever responsibility there was, Italian and by Italians,'' Mr Napolitano said.
Mr Napolitano also expressed solidarity with the relatives of the victims and praised rescuers, including scuba divers, who ''had made every effort'' to rescue survivors or bring to shore the bodies of those who had died in the accident.
Italy's head of state made the remarks as he was exiting Rome's Basilica of St Mary of the Angels, where the memorial mass was celebrated on Sunday.
During the solemn service, Italy's top Catholic bishop and head of the country's episcopal conference, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, offered prayers for the victims of the accident.
The Italian cruise ship ran aground on the night of January 13 near the island of Giglio, off Italy's western coast.
Seventeen people have been certified dead from the disaster, while 15 remain unaccounted for.
The cruise ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, is under house arrest and faces charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the ship before all passengers and crew were evacuated.
Cardinal Bagnasco also praised coast guard officials and rescuers as well as the inhabitants of Giglio, many of whom had opened their homes to accommodate survivors on the night of the accident.
But the Cardinal also said ''truth and justice'' still needs to be done to ''heal the wounds and restore trust''.
The Concordia, carrying about 4200 passengers, was already listing heavily when an evacuation order was issued around an hour after the accident took place, officials say.
New video shows at times confused activity on the command bridge of the cruise ship as it began sinking. DPA
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