March 22, 2020 - Pope Francis took some time to pray for Croatia today after the devastating earthquakes in Zagreb this morning.

After Sunday's earthquake in Zagreb, Pope Francis expressed his closeness to the Croatian people and asked Christ to give them strength and solidarity in the face of disaster during a church service in the Vatican today.

The Pope indicated that he would send an extraordinary message and blessing this week to "Urbi et Orbi" (City and World), which is usually referred only to Christmas and Easter, and called for prayer worldwide in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the Vatican News website:

At the close of his remarks following the Angelus, Pope Francis expressed his closeness to the people of Croatia, which was struck by magnitude 5.4 earthquake Sunday morning.

The Holy Father prayed, "May the Risen Lord give them the strength and solidarity to face this calamity".

The Pope's decision to pray for Croatia will bring some comfort to many in Croatia, which is a very Catholic country, with about 90% of the country adhering to the Catholic faith. Only last month, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic met with Pope Francis and invited him to visit Croatia. 

The earthquakes in Zagreb have caused considerable damage to the city, and they come at a time when the authorities in the Croatian capital are battling to contain the coronavirus threat. 

Only yesterday, all public spaces were effectively closed, intercity buses and trains halted, and a raft of other strict measures introduced. 

You can read more about the coverage of the Zagreb earthquakes and their aftermath on TCN on the following link. 

Croatia currently has 254 cases of the coronavirus, five of them serious, but the country is bracing itself for a sharp increase in cases in the coming days. 

To follow the latest from the coronavirus crisis in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section here.