Pope Leo XIV on Sunday expressed solidarity with Filipinos affected by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Mindanao on June 8, assuring prayers for victims during his Angelus message at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City on June 14.
The pontiff said he was praying for those who were killed, injured, and displaced by the disaster, which triggered widespread destruction and prompted tsunami warnings in several countries across the region.
“I assure the people of the Philippines, struck a few days ago by a powerful earthquake, of my closeness,” Leo said, according to the Vatican’s official English translation.
“I pray for the deceased and their families, for the wounded and for all those suffering because of this disaster,” he added.
Vatican News reported that the pope also offered prayers specifically for victims of the offshore quake that struck the Philippines on June 8.
The earthquake has so far left 61 people dead, 1,403 injured, and 40 missing, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council as of June 14, with search and relief operations continuing in affected areas.
Leo, who previously visited the Philippines several times when he served as superior general of the Augustinian Order, has maintained a long-standing connection with the country’s Catholic community.
