At the end of the Wednesday general audience this February 8, Pope Francis led the crowd in a Hail Mary for the victims of Monday's catastrophic earthquake.
My thoughts go at this time to the people of Turkey and Syria who were hard hit by the earthquake, which left thousands dead and injured. With emotion I pray for them and express my closeness to these peoples, to the families of the victims and to all those suffering from this devastating calamity.
I thank those who are working to bring relief and encourage everyone to solidarity with those territories, some of which have already been battered by a long war.
Let us pray together that these brothers and sisters of ours may move forward, overcoming this tragedy, and let us ask Our Lady to protect them, "Hail Mary…"
Ukraine
Then, as always, he called on the faithful to remember the suffering in Ukraine:
Let us not forget the suffering of the Ukrainian people, so tormented: in this cold, without light, without heating, and at war.
