Pope Francis has offered “the assurance of prayers for the dead, injured and displaced, as well as for the first responders and emergency personnel” after fires ravaged the Hawaiian island of Maui. Source: CNS.
“His Holiness Pope Francis was deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and the destruction caused by the wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui,” said a telegram on Friday sent by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, to Cardinal-designate Christoph Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States.
The Pope, he said, “expresses his solidarity with all those suffering from this tragedy, especially those whose loved ones have died or are missing.”
The death toll from the fires, which began on August 8, has reached 93 as of Sunday night, with hundreds missing.
The Governor of Hawaii said the fires mark the largest natural disaster ever experienced on the island, with an estimated 2200 structures destroyed or damaged.
Pope Francis offered “the assurance of prayers for the dead, injured and displaced, as well as for the first responders and emergency personnel,” Cardinal Parolin wrote. “As a sign of his spiritual closeness, the Holy Father willingly invokes upon all the people of Maui Almighty God’s blessings of strength and peace.”
In his Angelus address at the Vatican yesterday, Pope Francis reassured his prayers for the victims of the wildfires that have devastated Maui.
FULL STORY
Pope offers prayers for victims of fires in Hawaii (By Cindy Wooden, CNA via USCCB)
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