Relief groups respond to Iran quake losses: Generous international aid needed
Pope John Paul II called for generous international aid to “our Iranian brothers and sisters” even as a range of religious relief organizations began to respond to an earthquake that claimed more than 25,000 lives in the ancient city of Bam in southeastern Iran.
Speaking from his Vatican study window two days after the December 26 temblor, the Catholic pontiff asked pilgrims to pray for the victims. “May the solidarity of the entire world, particularly felt in the Christmas climate, render their situation less dramatic,” the pope said.