ENDE (SE): On August 17, Vatican News reported that Pope Leo XIV said that he was “deeply saddened” to learn of the “devastation” caused by caused by the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara region on the morning of August 15 in a telegramme sent to Archbishop Paulus Budi Kleden, of Ende, and signed by Vatican secretary of state, Pietro Cardinal Parolin.
The pope offered “the assurance of his spiritual solidarity and closeness to those suffering the continuing effects of this disaster, particularly for the many displaced and injured.”
He also encouraged Church and civil authorities “as they continue to provide humanitarian assistance” and prayed “for the emergency personnel engaged in recovery efforts.”
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