Francis referred to the disaster during his weekly general audience Wednesday and invoked Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is revered by many Latino Catholics.
Church volunteers feel called by Christ to help those impacted by Helene. For some, that means fulfilling a mandate to alleviate suffering. For others, it also means proselytizing.
"I am praying for all of you," Pope Francis said, using his televised Sunday Angelus address to speak directly to the people impacted by the wildfires in Southern California.
A cross containing dirt stained with the blood of Sister Dorothy Stang, a U.S. member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur shot down in the Amazon 20 years ago, and one of her sweaters were placed Jan. 10 on the altar of the "new martyrs of the Americas" in Rome's Basilica of St. Bartholomew.
In my work for ecology in my religious community, I can become depressed and want to give up. Why fight a losing battle? But to a small degree, we are acting with hope for creation, and we have seen some progress.
Cardinal McElroy did not shy from calling out Trump's environmental policies during his first administration. Now, the papal ally on ecological issues will move to D.C. not long after Trump returns to the White House.
