His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has learned with deep sorrow the news of the sudden death of 18-year-old Pascale Rafic, who was traveling to Rome from Egypt to participate in the Jubilee of Youth.

The Holy Father has contacted His Excellency Jean-Marie Chami, Titular Bishop of Tarsus and Auxiliary Bishop of the Patriarchate of Antioch of the Greek Melkites for Egypt, Sudan and South Sudan, to express his spiritual closeness to the young woman’s family and the entire community.

Later this morning, he will meet at the Vatican with the group of pilgrims who were traveling with Pascale. The meeting, marked by profound sadness, will be an opportunity for prayer and spiritual comfort for the young people who are still shaken by the painful event.

In sharing in the mourning of those affected by this tragic episode, the Holy Father assures all of his heartfelt prayers and invokes the Lord’s comfort and consolation upon Pascale’s family members, friends and all of those who grieve her loss.