Pope Francis has sent a message of support to victims of the storm which has swept through the American states of Texas and Louisiana causing mass devastation. In a telegram sent via his top diplomat, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Pope assured Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, of “his spiritual closeness and pastoral concern to all those affected” by Hurricane Harvey while stressing he is praying for the victims and their families.
So far at least 33have died and 30,000 people have been forced to leave their homes as a result of violent winds and flooding, in what has been the most powerful storm to hit the United States in more than a decade. But as the storm finds its way into Mississippi, Kentucky and Tennessee estimates say that up to 13 million could be affected.
President Donald Trump travelled to the affected areas this week where he praised the massive relief operation that is underway with Texas governor Greg Abbot has estimated he will need $125 billion in federal funds to deal with the storm’s after effects. The Vatican’s message said the Pope was praying for all those involved in the relief work and asked for continued help to all those caught up in the natural disaster. “He likewise trusts that the immense and immediate needs of so many individuals and communities will continue to inspire a vast outpouring of solidarity and mutual aid in the best traditions of the nation,” the telegram explained.
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