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A pallbearer stands next to a line of coffins during a memorial service at Nyamhunga Stadium in Kariba, Zimbabwe, Aug. 13 for victims of a Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA) passenger ferry that capsized on Lake Kariba.
OSV News photo/Bright Charakupa, Reuters
August 18, 2026
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Pope Leo XIV sent condolences to the families of the victims of a tragic ferry accident in Zimbabwe that has killed more than 90 people.
The ferry was carrying more passengers than authorized, causing it to capsize Aug. 11 on Lake Kariba. Zimbabwe's national police released an update Aug. 17 and announced that the death toll had reached 92 after rescuers recovered eight bodies from the lake.
"His Holiness Pope Leo XIV was deeply saddened to learn of the fatal ferry accident on Lake Kariba," Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, wrote on the Pope’s behalf Aug. 18. "Entrusting the souls of the deceased to the loving mercy of Almighty God, he sends heartfelt condolences to those who mourn their loss."
Parolin said Pope Leo also offered "prayers for the civil authorities and emergency personnel in their ongoing response to this tragedy."
"Upon all those affected, he invokes the divine blessings of consolation, healing and strength," he wrote.
AP reported the ferry was traveling to rural communities in Zimbabwe's northwest when the accident occurred. The ferry, authorized to carry 90 passengers, is believed to have carried more than 150 when it capsized.
The Zimbabwean bishops' conference offered prayers for the victims and their families, saying that "the sudden loss of a parent, spouse, child, relative or friend leaves a wound that words alone cannot heal."
"This tragedy is not a loss for the affected families alone; it is a loss for our entire nation. We therefore invite the Catholic faithful and all people of goodwill across Zimbabwe to stand together in prayer and solidarity with the bereaved and all those affected by this disaster," the bishops said in an Aug. 12 statement.
Bishop Patrick Ngwenya of Chinhoyi, where the tragedy occurred, expressed his "deep sorrow" after learning that several of the victims were parishioners in his diocese.
"We commend the souls of the departed to the loving mercy of God and pray for the speedy recovery of those physically and psychologically affected. We also pray for strength and consolation for all those grieving," Ngwenya wrote.
The bishop said the diocese was coordinating "pastoral support" to the victims' families and urged the faithful to join "in prayer and in acts of charity and support all those affected."
(Junno Arocho Esteves writes for OSV News from Malmö, Sweden.)
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