Pope Francis is mourning for three relatives who were killed in a car crash in Argentina early Tuesday, the Vatican said during a radio broadcast.
According to local Argentina police, a small car with Emanuel Bergoglio, a nephew of the pontiff, hit a truck on a highway, reports The Associated Press. Bergoglio, 38, was hospitalized, but his wife and two children were killed. The children were infants, one 2 years old and the other just 8 months old.
“The pope has been informed and is deeply grieved by the tragic news. He asks all those who share his pain to join with him in prayer,” a Radio Vaticana statement read, reports Reuters.
Raul Pombo, the driver of the truck, told local media that he felt the impact and that Bergoglio’s car was wedged under the truck. Images of the car crash were shown on television.
The accident occurred in the central Cordoba province.
The Rev. Federico Lombardi, a spokesman for the Vatican, told the AP that the Pope asks “all who share in his grief to unite with him in prayer.”
Pope Francis wrapped up five-day visit to South Korea on Monday. The AFP reports that he will return to Asia in January 2015 with visits to Sri Lanka and the Philippines.
image courtesy of INFphoto.com