The Pope, in his words after the Angelus this Sunday, 5 March 2023, expressed his sorrow for the tragedy that occurred in the waters of Cutro, in Crotone. My thoughts also went often to the victims of the train crash in Greece: many of them were young students, the Holy Father said.
These were the Pope’s words after the Marian prayer, provided by the Holy See’s Press Office
The Pope’s words After the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters,
These past days, my thought has often been directed to the victims of the train accident that happened in Greece. Many were young students. I am praying for the deceased. I am near the wounded and to their relatives. May Our Lady comfort them.
I now express my sorrow for the tragedy that took place in the waters of Cutro, near Crotone. I am praying for the numerous victims of the shipwreck, for their relatives and for those who survived. I manifest my appreciation and my gratitude to the local population and institutions for their solidarity and hospitality toward these our brothers and sisters. I renew my appeal to everyone so that similar tragedies may not be repeated. Let the human traffickers be stopped so they do not continue to dispose of the lives of so many innocent people! May the journeys of hope never more be transformed into journeys of death. May the clear waters of the Mediterranean never more be bloodied by such tragic accidents! May the Lord give us the strength to understand and to weep.
I greet all of you, people from Rome and pilgrims from Italy and various countries. In particular, I greet the Ukrainian community from Milano who has come on the occasion of the fourth centenary of the martyrdom of the Bishop, Saint Josaphat who gave his life for the unity of Christians. Dear brothers and sisters, I praise your efforts to welcome your compatriots who have fled from the war. May the Lord, through the intercession of Saint Josaphat, grant peace to the battered Ukrainian people.
I greet the pilgrims from Lithuania and the Lithuanian community of Rome who are celebrating Saint Casimir, as well as the Catholic Romanian community from Zaragoza (Spain), and the parish groups who have come from Murcia and Jerez de la Frontera (Spain); and from Tbilisi, Georgia.
I greet the faithful from Burkina Faso, the Confirmation candidates from Scandicci and from Anzio; the faithful from Capaci, Ostia and San Mauro Abate in Rome.
I wish all of you a good Sunday. Please, do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your meal and arrivederci!
