During his weekly meeting with believers in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father said, “Let us ask Mary our Queen of Heaven to watch over the victims and their families.”

“May she intercede for us before the Lord so that we may know how to bear witness to faith and hope in the life of the world to come. May God bless you,” Francis said.

On Monday, the Vatican’s secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, sent a telegram of condolences on behalf of His Holiness to the highest ecclesiastical authorities in Cuba, in which he expressed his condolences for what happened in Cuba.

The message notes that the head of the Catholic Church “is closely following the news about the unfortunate accident” and “prays so that the Lord may grant them the strength at this time of pain and sustain the work to extinguishing the fire and search for possible survivors.”

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