Pope offers prayers for Zimbabwe ferry disaster as death toll passes 90

(OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV sent condolences to the families of the victims of a tragic ferry accident in Zimbabwe that has killed over 90 people.

According to the Associated Press, the ferry was carrying more passengers than authorized, causing it to capsize Aug. 11 on Lake Kariba, situated on Zimbabwe’s northern border with Zambia.

The Vatican published a telegram on Aug. 18, written on the pope’s behalf by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state.

“His Holiness Pope Leo XIV was deeply saddened to learn of the fatal ferry accident on Lake Kariba,” Cardinal Parolin wrote. “Entrusting the souls of the deceased to the loving mercy of Almighty God, he sends heartfelt condolences to those who mourn their loss.”

Zimbabwe’s national police released an update Aug. 17 and announced that the death toll had reached 92 after rescuers recovered eight bodies from the lake.

The police commissioner general deployed more boats, personnel, and “other resources to coordinate the rescue of victims, search and recovery of bodies from Lake Kariba,” the national police said.

Cardinal Parolin said Pope Leo also offered “prayers for the civil authorities and emergency personnel in their ongoing response to this tragedy.”

“Upon all those affected, he invokes the divine blessings of consolation, healing and strength,” he wrote.

AP reported the ferry was traveling to rural communities in Zimbabwe’s northwest when the accident occurred. The ferry, authorized to carry 90 passengers, is believed to have carried more than 150 when it capsized.

According to the European Commission, Lake Kariba is the world’s largest man-made reservoir, created after the Kariba Dam was built in 1959.

The accident drew criticism from locals over the use of the aging ferry system. Survivors of the disaster said they pleaded with the ferry captain to turn back after the strong waves hit the boat but were dismissed, AP said.

In a statement released Aug. 12, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared the accident a national tragedy and acknowledged the criticism over the lake’s transportation system.

“This tragedy has exposed serious deficiencies in our maritime capabilities which we have to address immediately so that our places of recreation do not become death traps to the innocent,” he said.

The Zimbabwean bishops’ conference offered prayers for the victims and their families, saying that “the sudden loss of a parent, spouse, child, relative or friend leaves a wound that words alone cannot heal.”

“This tragedy is not a loss for the affected families alone; it is a loss for our entire nation. We therefore invite the Catholic faithful and all people of goodwill across Zimbabwe to stand together in prayer and solidarity with the bereaved and all those affected by this disaster,” the bishops said in an Aug. 12 statement.

The area where the tragic capsizing took place falls within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Chinhoyi.

In a statement published Aug. 17, Bishop Patrick Ngwenya of Chinhoyi expressed his “deep sorrow” after learning that several of the victims were parishioners in his diocese.

“We commend the souls of the departed to the loving mercy of God and pray for the speedy recovery of those physically and psychologically affected. We also pray for strength and consolation for all those grieving,” Bishop Ngwenya wrote.

The bishop said the diocese was coordinating “pastoral support” to the victims’ families and urged the faithful to join “in prayer and in acts of charity and support all those affected.”

“May the Lord, who comforts the brokenhearted, grant eternal rest to the departed and peace to their families,” he wrote.

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