Pope Francis renews his appeal for concrete help and prayers for all those affected by the devastating earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria. He also prays for war-ravaged Ukraine, calling on responsible parties to have the courage to walk the path of peace.
By Linda Bordoni
“We continue to be close, with prayer and concrete support, to the earthquake victims in Syria and Turkey.”
Speaking during the Angelus address in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, Pope Francis renewed his appeal for concrete acts of solidarity and for prayers for the quake-struck people in Turkey and Syria.
His call for action came as the death toll from the earthquakes in Turkey and northwestern Syria surpassed 29,000 amidst continuing rescue efforts.
Specialized search and rescue teams from across the world have joined forces in the affected areas and stories of extraordinary rescues, almost a week after the quake, continue to emerge. But humanitarian agencies are warning of a “second disaster” as scores of people left homeless in the freezing cold struggle to survive.
Emirati rescuers continue their search and rescue operations in Jableh, Syria
Prayers for quake victims and war-ravaged Ukraine
Pope Francis said he has been seeing images of the catastrophe and the pain of the people and he asked all men and women of goodwill to pray for them.
“Let us not forget, let us pray and think what we can do for them.”
He also renewed his call to not forget war-ravaged Ukraine.
“May the Lord open paths of peace and give those responsible the courage to walk them.”
Ukrainian soldiers in Donetsk region
