Vatican City
Reuters
Pope Francis offered his prayers for the thousands of victims of the earthquake in Syria and Turkey on Wednesday and called on the international community to continue to support rescue and recovery efforts.
Pope Francis holds the weekly general audience at the Vatican, on 8th February, 2023. PICTURE: Reuters/Remo Casilli
“I am praying for them with emotion and I wanted to say that I am close to these people, to the families of the victims and everyone who is suffering from this devastating disaster,” he said
“I thank those who are offering help and encourage everyone to show solidarity with these countries, some of which have already been battered by a long war,” he added at the end of his weekly audience in the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican.
Families in southern Turkey and Syria had spent a second night in the freezing cold as overwhelmed rescuers raced to pull people from the rubble two days after a massive earthquake that killed more than 9,600 people.
Earlier this week, Rev Prof Dr Jerry Pillay, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, called for prayer.
“In the midst of death and trauma caused by this terrible event, let us bring our intercessions together, praying that the God of Life will comfort the ones who lost their loved ones and give strength to those involved in the actions of solidarity with the victims” he said in a statement. “We convey our prayers to the victims and their families, as well as to the churches and local communities in Syria and in Turkey mobilizing their networks to help their sisters and brothers.”
Meanwhile, the Middle East Council of Churches called on the international community and the international ecumenical family to provide urgent emergency aid to the region, in coordination with the council, churches, and their affiliated institutions. They also urged the international community to lift of sanctions on Syria to access to all materials “so sanctions may not turn into a crime against humanity”.
And the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, tweeted that he continued “to pray for the people of Turkey and Syria after the recent devastating earthquakes”.
“All those who have been so traumatically bereaved, and all those involved in rescue efforts, are in my prayers.”
Numerous Christian humanitarian agencies have launched appeals including the ACT Alliance, Lutheran World Federation and Caritas.
– With DAVID ADAMS/Sight
