In a telegram signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, and addressed to the Archbishop of Los Angeles, Mgr José H. Gomez, the Pope assures the victims of the fires devastating the Californian City of Angels of all its “spiritual closeness”. At least eleven people lost their lives in the flames causing apocalyptic scenes in the second most populous city in the United States.
“Saddened by the loss of life and widespread destruction caused by the fires near Los Angeles, Pope Francis assures you and the communities affected by this tragedy of his spiritual closeness», writes Cardinal Parolin in the missive published on Saturday January 11.
Entrusting the souls of the deceased “to the loving mercy of almighty god», the Sovereign Pontiff sends his sincere condolences to those who mourn their loss. He also prays for the relief efforts of emergency services personnel, and conveys his blessing to all “as a token of consolation and strength in the Lord».
8,000 hectares reduced to ashes, a mass took place on Thursday
Violent fires fanned by the wind have caused at least eleven deaths since Tuesday January 7. The largest fire, of five still active, has burned more than 8,000 acres on the Malibu coast and the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood. “Thousands of our neighbors have lost everything: their homes, their livelihoods, their parishes, their schools and their communities», lamented Mgr José H. Gomez in his homily during a mass specially dedicated to the victims of the fires Thursday evening. “Today we remember how precious and fragile each life is.”
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