Pope Francis prayed for Our Lady’s intercession for the 12 Polish pilgrims killed in Croatia on Saturday on their way to Medjugorje, when their bus veered off the road.
The other 32 passengers were injured, some seriously, when the bus went into the ditch northeast of Zagreb at about 5:40 local time. The pilgrims had left from Czestochowa on Friday night.
The pope prayed for them after the midday Angelus on Sunday:
“I learned with sorrow the news of the bus crash yesterday morning in Croatia. Several Polish pilgrims on their way to Medjugorje lost their lives and others were injured. May Our Lady intercede for them and their families.”
The pilgrimage was organized by the Brotherhood of St. Joseph.
Among the pilgrims were three priests and six nuns.