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Only a few hours after Bassel Habkouk, a young Lebanese Catholic and father of two, arrived for a visit in Turkey on Feb. 6, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country and nearby Syria.
Pope Francis concluded his public audience on Wednesday with a prayer for the intercession of the Virgin Mary for the thousands of victims of a deadly earthquake in Turkey and Syria.
Cardinal Chibly Langlois, Bishop of Les Cayes and president of Haiti’s Bishops’ Conference, has been injured, while a Catholic priest died early in the morning of Aug. 14 after an 7.2 intensity earthquake shook Haiti.
“In recent hours a strong earthquake has occurred in Haiti, causing numerous deaths, injuries and extensive material damage. I wish to express my closeness to those dear people who have been hard hit by the earthquake,” Pope Francis said.