Castel Gandolfo: Against the serene backdrop of Freedom Square in Castel Gandolfo, the calm of Pope Leo’s Sunday Angelus was pierced by heartfelt sorrow as he turned his gaze eastward to the swollen rivers, crumbled roads, and mourning hearts of Pakistan, Nepal, and India-administered Kashmir.
More than 300 souls lost swept away in sudden torrents after days of unrelenting rain. As the death toll from devastating flash floods continues to climb, Pope Leo offered a voice of solidarity from the heart of the Church.
“I carry in my heart the pain of those affected by the floods in Pakistan, India, and Nepal,” he said after reciting the Angelus. “I offer prayers for the victims and their families, and for all those who are suffering as a result of this calamity.”
The Pope’s message, delivered under a mild Italian sky, stood in sharp contrast to the chaos engulfing villages across the subcontinent. In Pakistan’s northwestern hills, over ten villages in the Nuner region have been wiped from the map. Landslides and washed-out roads have left rescue teams battling terrain as much as tragedy. More than 3,500 stranded tourists were evacuated by emergency crews, though many remain unreachable.
In India-administered Kashmir and across the border in Nepal, floodwaters have turned summer into sorrow, triggering displacement, loss, and despair in communities ill-equipped to face nature’s fury.
The Pope, known for weaving prayers with political conscience, used the moment to once again appeal for peace in a world besieged by conflict. Without naming specific wars, he voiced his longing for a new kind of diplomacy one that places the dignity and welfare of people above power games.
“May every negotiation place the common good of peoples before all else,” he said solemnly. “And may we never forget the silent cries of those suffering far from the spotlight.”
Yet even amid global grief, the pontiff found reason to hope. Turning briefly from tragedy, he praised young missionaries and cultural initiatives emerging across Europe’s summer landscapes. He singled out a recent youth mission in Riccione, Italy, as a sign of the Gospel’s living pulse.
“It’s encouraging to see a passion for the Gospel stir creativity and commitment, especially among the young,” Pope Leo said. “Even on vacation, the Spirit does not rest.”
His words hung in the summer air like a benediction a reminder that while nature may wound, and politics may falter, faith continues to gather, to mourn, and to move.