Pope mourns victims of Hawaii fire, prays for suffering

"He expresses his solidarity with all those suffering from this tragedy, especially those whose loved ones have died or are missing"

Pope Francis assured his prayers for the situation in Hawaii through a papal note sent to his representative in the United States.

His Holiness Pope Francis was deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and the destruction caused by the wildfires on the Hawaiian Island of Maui, and he expresses his solidarity with all those suffering from this tragedy, especially those whose loved ones have died or are missing. His Holiness also offers the assurance of prayers for the dead, injured and displaced, as well as for the first responders and emergency personnel. As a sign of his spiritual closeness, the Holy Father willingly invokes upon all the people of Maui, Almighty God’s blessings of strength and peace.

The death toll is already over 90 in what has now become the deadliest wildfire in the United States since the early 1900s.

What began as scattered brush fires on the state’s biggest islands spread quickly. By Saturday evening, at least 93 people had been confirmed dead.

The Holy Father also mentioned the tragedy after praying the midday Angelus on August 13:

I would also like to assure my prayers for the victims of the fires that devastated the island of Maui, Hawaii.