11 January 2025

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis is praying for victims and rescue workers trying to control wildfires in California that have killed at least 11 people and destroyed thousands of homes, the Vatican said on Saturday.

“His Holiness Pope Francis assures you and the community affected by this tragedy of his spiritual closeness,” said a statement sent on behalf of the Pope to Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez.

Francis expressed his “heartfelt condolences to those who mourn their loss,” and also offered his prayers “for the relief efforts of emergency services personnel” and extended his “blessings to all as a token of consolation and strength in the Lord.”

© Reuters. Pope Francis attends a jubilee audience in the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican on January 11, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

Los Angeles is home to the largest Catholic community in the United States, according to the Los Angeles Catholic website.

Six simultaneous wildfires have destroyed neighborhoods in Los Angeles County since Tuesday, forcing the evacuation of about 153,000 people and scorching 35,000 acres (14,100 hectares) — or 54 square miles, 2-1/2 times the size of Manhattan.

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