Pope Francis expressed condolences on Sunday to the families of victims of a tragic plane crash in South Korea in which 179 people died.
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"My thoughts are with the many families in South Korea who are mourning today following the dramatic plane crash. I join in prayer for the survivors and the dead," Pope Francis said at the end of the Angelus prayer.
The pontiff also prayed for the families suffering from war in Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, Sudan and North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Large crowds of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square to see the pope deliver his Sunday prayer from his balcony.
Last Sunday he decided not to appear at the window because of a persistent cold and as a precaution ahead of a busy Christmas period.
Cardinal Baldassare Reina, Pope Francis's Vicar General, also opened the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. John Lateran on Sunday.
The ceremony marks the third Holy Door that has been opened in honour of the 2025 Jubilee of Hope year. The first was opened on Christmas eve at the St. Peter’s Basilica, and the second at Rome's main prison, with a message of hope to inmates whom he vowed would be an important part of the 2025 jubilee year.
The opening of the Holy Doors kicks off the Catholic Church’s once-every-quarter-century celebration, which is expected to attract about 32 million pilgrims to Rome. The jubilee is a tradition that dates back to 1300.
The final grand event of the Jubilee is a special Mass for inmates at St. Peter's on 14 December 2025.