Pope Francis is praying for victims of a deadly avalanche in central Italy, which struck Wednesday evening after several earthquakes in the region.
According to Vatican Radio, Archbishop Nunzio Galantino, General Secretary of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, expressed that Pope Francis not only invites everyone to pray, but is also calling on everyone in the Episcopal Conference to do all they can to make people feel the closeness of the Church.
Francis has asked to be constantly informed about the situation there, particularly that of a mountain hotel hosting some 30 people struck by the avalanche, with four dead confirmed.
But, this morning, there was good news that emergency workers found eight people alive in the ruins, including two children, when all had been feared dead.
From snow and rubble, the first victims have been pulled, and rescue teams are battling the elements as they continue their search for the missing, which include children.
“The Pope is being kept up to date constantly,» Archbishop Galantino said, noting that every once in a while, Francis calls one of the affected bishops.
The Italian Archbishop went on to say that the situation is truly dramatic, with a perfect storm of earthquakes, snow, and terrible meteorological conditions, and lamenting that these factors have caused a deep seated psychological distress in all the area’s inhabitants.
