“I am near to the population of Nepal who is suffering because of an earthquake, as well as the Afghan refugees who have found refuge in Pakistan but now do not know where to go,” Pope Francis said on November 5. Two days earlier, an earthquake in Nepal had killed at least 157 people; on November 1, the Pakistani government began to deport undocumented Afghans.
“I pray also for the victims of the storms and floods in Italy and other countries,” the Pope added. During the previous week, Storm Ciarán had brought record rainfall to Italy.