One day after receiving a major American award, Pope Francis weighed in on a major American crisis, posting on X Sunday about the deadly wildfires still burning in Los Angeles County.
The Catholic leader said he was praying for people in Los Angeles and expressed his support.
“I express my closeness to the residents of Los Angeles County, California, where devastating fires have raged in recent days,” Pope Francis wrote.
Since California’s wildfire emergency escalated dramatically on Tuesday, at least 24 people have died and more than 100,000 people have been evacuated.
It’s estimated that more than $250 billion worth of damage has been done by the fires so far this month, as the Deseret News previously reported.
Churches and other houses of worship are among the buildings that have been lost so far in Los Angeles County.
The pope’s Sunday post on X about the fires came after he spoke by phone Saturday with President Joe Biden.
The men spoke discussed Biden’s decision to award Francis with the Presidential Medal of Freedom with distinction in recognition of his leadership.
“You are a light of faith, hope, and love that shines brightly across the world,” Biden wrote about the pope on X when news of the award broke.
Biden and the pope also spoke Saturday about “efforts to promote peace and alleviate suffering around the world,” per The Associated Press.
The president had initially planned to president the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the pope in person, but he cancelled a trip to the Vatican to stay home and focus on the wildfire crisis.