Pope Francis Conveys Spiritual Closeness and Pastoral Concern to All Victims of Hurricane Harvey

WASHINGTON—PopeFrancis expressed his solidarity with all those affected by Hurricane Harvey,in a message conveyed by the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal PietroParolin, to Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, president of theU.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

"HisHoliness Pope Francis asks you kindly to convey the assurance of his spiritualcloseness and pastoral concern to all those affected by the violent hurricanethat swept through the states of Texas and Louisiana in these days," CardinalParolin wrote. "Deeply moved by the tragic loss of life and the immensematerial devastation that this natural catastrophe has left in its wake, heprays for the victims and their families, and for all those engaged in thevital work of relief, recovery and rebuilding."

CardinalParolin added that Pope Francis "likewise trusts that the immense and immediateneeds of so many individuals and communities will continue to inspire a vastoutpouring of solidarity and mutual aid in the best traditions of the nation."

Themessage was sent by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to theUnited States.

Thefull text of the letter is available at: https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2017/08/31/0543/01209.html.

---

Keywords: U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops,USCCB, Pope Francis, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, Cardinal Pietro Parolin,devastation, victims, Hurricane Harvey, Vatican, hurricane, Texas, Louisiana, ArchbishopChristophe Pierre

## #