Pope Leo extends condolences to Texas flood victims: ‘We pray for them’

US-born pontiff addresses likely the deadliest natural disaster in his home country since assuming role in May

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday voiced his sympathies for the families whose lives have been upended by the flooding in Texas's Hill Country, which left about 80 dead - many of them children - and others missing.

After reciting Angelus prayers at the Vatican, the American-born pontiff remarked in English: I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters who were in a summer camp in the disaster caused by flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas.