Pope Francis waves to faithful as he arrives for his weekly general audience at St. Peter's Square on Aug. 30 in the Vatican. (Photo by AFP)
After leading thousands of pilgrims in praying the Angelus, Pope Francis offered prayers for flood victims in Asia where monsoon rains have killed thousands in Bangladesh, India and Nepal and displaced millions of people.
"While I renew my spiritual closeness to the people of southern Asia, who still suffer the consequences of the floods, I want to express my heartfelt participation in the sufferings of the inhabitants of Texas and Louisiana struck by a hurricane and by exceptional rains that have caused victims, thousands of displaced and considerable material damage," the pope said Sept. 3.
Hundreds of thousands were displaced in Texas and Louisiana after Hurricane Harvey made landfall Aug. 26.
In the same week, floods and landslides in southern Asia killed more than 1,000 people and affected an estimated 41 million people, the United Nations reported.
Invoking the intercession of Mary, "consoler of the afflicted," the pope prayed that she would "obtain from the Lord the grace of comfort for our brothers and sisters" affected by the floods.
Full story: Pope offers prayers for flood victims in U.S., southern Asia
Source: Catholic News Service