SW News: Pope Francis led the reading of the Angelus prayer before turning his attention to regions of the world impacted by conflict, turmoil, and natural catastrophes.

He urged everyone to pray for those affected by the large and destructive tornado that rocked the US state of Mississippi on Friday. The tornado claimed an estimated 26 lives. The Holy Father urged everyone to pray for the victims and people recovering from the loss of life and devastating destruction.

“Let us pray for the population of the state of Mississippi, struck by a devastating tornado,” said the Holy Father.

In a statement released on Saturday, Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz of the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, pledged the assistance of the diocese's Catholic Charities disaster response team.

“We pray for those who are desperately trying to reach loved ones and unable to reach them, as well as those still seeking safety who are missing as a result of the storms,” the bishop said in the statement.

Governor Tate Reeves also proclaimed a state of emergency in the impacted areas on Saturday. According to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), the number of fatalities is certain to rise.

USA Today said that most of the damage is concentrated in the small Mississippi villages of Silver City and Rolling Fork, which are located about 60 miles northeast of Jackson. The Clarion Ledger provided drone footage of the extent of the damage on its website. According to the website PowerOutage.us, the storm had left about 26,000 customers in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee without power as of Saturday night.

The Pope also urged not to forget the people striving to recover from the disastrous effects of the tragic earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6 and claimed over 50,000 lives. He emphasized the Caritas collection going place today in churches all around Italy in support of the earthquake-affected people in Syria and Turkey.

The Holy Father also prayed for peace and harmony in Peru.