Pope Leo prays for Madagascar, observes Lunar New Year

ROME – Pope Leo on Sunday prayed for victims of two deadly cyclones in Madagascar and their families and asked that the upcoming Lunar New Year open a future of peace and bridge-building.

Speaking to a large crowd gathered in a sunny St. Peter’s Square after days of rain, the pope in his Feb. 15 Angelus address voiced his closeness to the people of Madagascar, “hit in a short time from one another by two cyclones, with floods and landslides.”

“I pray for the victims and their families...