Pope prays for victims of cyclone in Mayotte

During his greetings to French speakers at this week’s General Audience, Pope Francis said he was praying for the victims of the recent cyclone in the French Indian Ocean Territory of Mayotte.

Cyclone Chido hit Mayotte on Saturday, 14 December, leaving widespread destruction in its wake — thousands are now feared dead.

Speaking recently to Vatican News, Marc Bulteau of Secours Catholique, the French branch of Caritas, described the situation on the archipelago as being “truly apocalyptic”.

With a population of about 300,000, Mayotte is the European Union’s poorest territory, with around a third of its inhabitants living in makeshift slums. Most of these have now been razed to the ground.

The Holy Father prayed that God might “grant rest to those who have lost their lives, the necessary assistance to those in need, and comfort to the families who have been affected”.