Pope Francis' general audience in St. Peter's Square

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Pope Remembers Chinese Ferry Tragedy Victims

At Conclusion of General Audience, Expresses His Closeness to Chinese People

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Pope Francis has expressed his closeness to the people of China, in the wake of a ferryboat capsizing earlier this week. 
 
During his weekly General Audience, while giving his greetings to the English-speaking pilgrims, the Holy Father said: “In a particular way I wish to express my closeness to the Chinese people in these difficult moments after the ferry disaster in the Yangtze River.” 
 
On Monday night, the Eastern Star’ cruise ship, carrying 456 people, capsized in stormy weather in the middle of the Yangtze River, reported the official broadcaster China Central Television.  
 
Only 14 have been rescued. About the same time as the disaster, a tornado struck the area, Chinese weather officials said. Hopes for finding survivors are fading.
 
“I pray for the victims, their families and for all involved in the rescue efforts” Pope Francis said.
 
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Deborah Castellano Lubov

Deborah Castellano Lubov is Senior Vatican & Rome Correspondent for ZENIT; author of 'The Other Francis' ('L'Altro Francesco') featuring interviews with those closest to the Pope and preface by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin (currently published in 5 languages); Deborah is also NBC & MSNBC Vatican Analyst. She often covers the Pope's travels abroad, often from the Papal Flight (including for historic trips such as to Abu Dhabi and Japan & Thailand), and has also asked him questions on the return-flight press conference on behalf of the English-speaking press present. Lubov has done much TV & radio commentary, including for NBC, Sky, EWTN, BBC, Vatican Radio, AP, Reuters and more. She also has contributed to various books on the Pope and has written for various Catholic publications. For 'The Other Francis': http://www.gracewing.co.uk/page219.html or https://www.amazon.com/Other-Francis-Everything-They-about/dp/0852449348/

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