Cardinal Konrad Krajewski revisited the island of Ischia in Italy on Dec. 8 to express Pope Francis' closeness to the grieving families following the devastating flooding in November.
Vatican News said the Holy See released a statement saying Cardinal Krajewski was scheduled to visit Casamiccola Terme in Ishia to sympathize with the families of residents who perished in a Nov. 26 flood. The incident reportedly left 12 people dead and hundreds without a home.
'Pain Can Be Borne Together'
Krajewski, the Vatican's Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, shared the grieving families' pain. He reportedly kissed the hands of the bereaved women as a symbol of his empathy.
"Pain cannot be taken away but it can be borne together," Vatican News quoted Cardinal Krajewski saying.
Krajewski first visited the family of Francesco, Michelle, and Maria Teresa, the 6-year-old girl who died when a landslide occurred during the flooding. The cardinal reportedly went to the relatives of Gianluca Monti and Valentina Castagna, the parents of the deceased children.
The cardinal's visit fell on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, which Catholics celebrate each year on Dec. 8.
"To undertake this visit on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception has a special significance. In the faces of grandmothers, aunts and women, I saw the ordeal of Mary who lost her son, who accompanied him until his last breath," Krajewski said.
The cardinal first visited Ischia in December 2015 after a strong earthquake that displaced 25,000 people and killed two individuals.
Aside from his show of support to the families in Ischia, the cardinal also recently joined the pope in remembering Burkhard Scheffler, the homeless man who froze to death while sheltering under St. Peter's Square's colonnade. Scheffler reportedly received an offer from Vatican volunteers to stay in a proper shelter but refused.
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Pope's Statement of Closeness to Grieving Families
The Vatican's statement bared that the pope "desires that those affected by this grief feel His closeness."
During his visit, Cardinal Krajewski was expected to gift the families a Rosary bead that the pontiff blessed.
The news outlet said the Holy See wishes the families to "feel the comfort of His prayer and entrust themselves with hope to the Virgin Mother."
Vatican News said Pope Francis urged the Catholic faithful to pray for and remember "the victims, those suffering, and all the rescue workers." The pontiff issued the call the day after the flooding, following the recitation of the Angelus.
On the same occasion, the pope also denounced sexual violence targeting women, something he said is being used as a weapon of war. Pope Francis likewise rallied people to continue expressing their disapproval of war and supporting dialogue to attain peace. The pontiff also remembered the Holodomor tragedy and the victims of the Russian war against Ukraine.
A separate report by the news outlet bared that heavy rains triggered mudslides and flooding that led to displacement and deaths of Ischia's residents. At least 11 individuals were also reported missing after the flooding.
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