Pope Francis on Wednesday urged people to stand in solidarity with Turkey and Syria following the earthquakes that hit the two countries on Monday, in an appeal during the usual general audience at the Vatican.
“I am thinking of the people of Turkey and Syria who have been severely affected by the earthquake that has caused thousands of deaths and injuries, and it is with dismay that I express my solidarity with these peoples, with the families of the victims and with all those who are suffering. devastating disaster”Francis declared in the Paul VI Hall.
The pope also wanted to thank everyone who is committed to helping and encouraged “everyone to show solidarity with these areas that have already been affected by a great war”.
“Let’s pray together for these brothers and sisters to face this tragedy and for Our Lady to protect them,” he added.
After the earthquakes, the pope sent telegrams expressing his sorrow at what had happened and asking for “strength and perseverance” to the emergency services working in the affected areas.
On Tuesday, Francis declared his closeness “with all his heart” to those affected and said he continued to pray for those who lost their lives, for the injured, for their families and for the rescue teams.
The latest preliminary assessment of the earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday indicates the deaths of 9,500 people across the two countries as a whole. In Turkey, according to Afad, a Turkish aid organization that counts at least 37,000 injured, 6,957 bodies have been removed from the rubble. According to the Syrian authorities and doctors, 2,547 people have died in northern Syria.
Source: DN
