Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 4) – Pope Francis has offered prayers for all to have strength “to overcome every evil with good,” after the deadly bombing in Marawi City during a Catholic service on Sunday morning.
In a telegram message published on the Vatican website, the Pope relayed his message to Marawi Bishop Edwin dela Peña through the Vatican’s secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
“He joins you in commending the souls of those who died to Almighty God’s loving mercy and he implores the divine gifts of healing and consolation upon the injured and bereaved,” Parolin conveyed to the Marawi bishop.
“With prayers that Christ the Prince of Peace will grant to all the strength to turn from violence and overcome every evil with good (cf. Rom. 12:21), His Holiness cordially imparts his blessing as a pledge of strength and consolation in the Lord,” he added.
The explosion at the Mindanao State University’s (MSU) Dimaporo Gymnasium killed four and injured 46 others, including students and faculty members.
The Pope, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), assured the victims of his prayers and said he is spiritually “close to the families and the people of Mindanao.”
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I wish to assure my prayer for the victims of the attack that occurred this morning in the Philippines, where a bomb exploded during Mass. I am close to the families and the people of Mindanao, who have already suffered so much.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) December 3, 2023
