Pope Francis mourns Baghdad Hospital fire victims, drowned migrants at Mediterranean

Head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State, Pope Francis on Saturday turned his thoughts to the tragic loss of lives for the victims of the Baghdad COVID-19 hospital fire that claimed nearly 82 lives and injured more than 100. Earlier yesterday, an accident caused an oxygen tank to explode setting the Ibn Khatib hospital in the Diyala Bridge area in Iraq ablaze. The Iraqi Human Rights Commission, in a statement, said that at least 28 that died in the fire were critical COVID-19 patients on the ventilator. Announcing a three-day of national mourning, the Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi fired the Health Minister Hassan al-Tamimi as citizens expressed angst on the social media, citing negligence as the cause of the explosion. 

[Family members of the victims of a fire wait outside Ibn al-Khatib Hospital in Baghdad. A fire broke out in a Baghdad hospital dedicated to caring for coronavirus patients after oxygen cylinders reportedly exploded late Saturday, according to officials. Credit: AP/File/Khalid Mohammed]

Addressing the gathering in St Peter's Square for the recitation of the Regina Coeli prayer, Pope Francis also expressed grief for the migrants who were killed attempting to cross the Mediterranean, calling the incident “shameful”, as well as the tragedy caused by the deadly volcanic eruption on the islands of St. Vincent and Granadine. A migrant boat with 130 onboard wrecked off the Libyan coast on Friday, with no response from the rescue vessels despite SOS calls for help. Volunteers from Ocean Viking rescue service reported bodies floating in the water northeast of Tripoli, the NGO said in a statement. 

“For two days, the NGO alarm phone, which is responsible for sending distress calls to the relevant maritime rescue centers in the region, has been calling on States to uphold their responsibilities towards these people and send rescue vessels. Unfortunately, that has not happened,” IOM UN Migration spokesperson, Safa Msehli, told a news conference in Geneva. 

'Begged in vain for help,' said Pope

Francis asked the faithful to dedicate prayers to the victims’ grieving families in Iraq, who succumbed to "the fire at a hospital for those suffering from Covid.” “So far 82 are dead", noted the Pope. Furthermore, the pontiff remembered the 130 victim migrants who died in the Mediterranean, saying that for the “two whole days, they begged in vain for help. Help that never came". He continued, “They are people, human lives,” as he made a heartfelt appeal to devote prayers for the wellbeing of their families. Denouncing the incident, the pontiff asked everyone in the mass to question themselves "about this umpteenth tragedy”. Francis also expressed solidarity with the population "of the islands of St. Vincent and Granadine where a volcanic eruption is causing damage and inconvenience."

“It is a moment of shame”, said the Pope, according to his statement released by the Vatican. "We pray for these brothers and sisters, and for so many who continue to die on these dramatic journeys. We also pray for those who can help but prefer to look the other way. We pray in silence…"