ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV sought Thursday to console the families of Italian teenagers who were killed or injured in the New Year’s fire in a Swiss ski resort bar, acknowledging their anguish and urging them to try to find hope in “the darkest and most painful moments” of their lives.
Leo met with around two dozen relatives of the Italian victims in the Vatican, deviating from his prepared speech to tell them that he had immediately agreed to meet with them after learning of their desire to have an audience.
“I wanted at least to have the opportunity to share a moment that for you, amid so much pain and suffering, is truly a test of our faith, a test of what we believe,” he told them.
The families later met with Italian government officials, who have demanded justice and a full accounting of the horrific fire during a New Year’s Eve party at the Alpine resort that killed 40 people, most of them youngsters, and injured another 116.
Six of the dead and 13 of the injured were Italian citizens, and their plight has been followed closely by ordinary Italians and government officials alike.
Leo acknowledged his words were “limited and powerless” to ease the parents’ pain, but he urged them to rely on their faith to find hope going forward.
“The faith that dwells in us illuminates the darkest and most painful moments of our lives with an irreplaceable light, helping us to continue courageously on our journey toward our goal,” he said.
The fire in the Le Constellation bar, in the southwest Crans-Montana resort, is believed to have been ignited by sp …