ROME — Pope Francis says he is praying for the victims, the wounded and their families in Albania following Tuesday’s earthquake.

Francis said that Albania was the first country in Europe that he wanted to visit as pontiff, and he feels very close to the Albanian people.

The magnitude-6.4 quake that struck early Tuesday killed at least 25 people and injured more than 600.

The pope made his comments to thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his weekly audience.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s president has called for a donors’ conference of Muslim countries to help Albania surmount the destruction caused by the deadly earthquake.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the call on Wednesday during an opening address at an annual meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation to discuss economic issues.

Erdogan said: “I call on the entire Islamic world to support Albania.”

He said: “We must all stand together with Albania concerning the treatment of the injured or sheltering those whose homes collapsed or were damaged.”

The Turkish leader added that Turkey has dispatched military cargo planes, emergency assistance teams and aid convoys to Albania.


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