Pope Leo XIV expressed this Sunday his “gratitude and encouragement” to those who help in the search and assistance efforts in Venezuela after the earthquake and conveyed his closeness to all the victims.

“I wish to express my closeness to the Venezuelan sisters and brothers affected by the recent earthquakes that caused numerous victims and injuries, as well as enormous material damage,” he said in Spanish from the window of the Apostolic Palace after the Angelus prayer.

The American pontiff, before the faithful who listened to him in St. Peter's Square despite the intense heat that hit Rome, prayed for the "eternal rest of those who died" in the earthquakes and renewed his "spiritual closeness" to his relatives and all those affected by this "tragedy."

Finally, he expressed his “gratitude and encouragement” to all the people who “work generously in the search and assistance efforts.”

The violent double earthquake that shook Venezuela on Wednesday afternoon has left at least 1,430 people dead and thousands injured, according to the latest figures provided by the president of the Venezuelan Parliament, Jorge Rodríguez.

But it has also caused numerous material damages and collapsed buildings under which the missing are still being searched.

After the earthquake, Leo EFE