Pope Expresses Closeness to Muslims after Hajj Stampede
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Pope Francis expressed "closeness" with the world's Muslims after more than 1300 pilgrims were killed in a stampede outside the holy city of Mecca in the worst disaster to strike the annual Hajj pilgrimage in a quarter century.
Speaking during a packed evening prayer service at New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral on Thursday, the Argentine pope said he wanted to express his “sentiments of closeness in the face of the tragedy that their people suffered today in Mecca”, Reuters reported.
"In this moment of prayer, I unite myself with you all in prayer to God, our father, all powerful and merciful," Francis added.
On Thursday, the pilgrims were killed in a crush at Mina, outside the holy city, where some two million Muslims are performing the annual Hajj pilgrimage, Saudi media reported.
It came nearly two weeks after tens of Hajj pilgrims were killed in another tragic incident in Mecca.
Earlier, on September 11, a massive construction crane crashed into Mecca’s Grand Mosque in stormy weather, killing at least 107 people and injuring 201 others.
Saudi authorities have been blasted for their failure to ensure the safety of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who converge on Mecca for Hajj every year.