On Aug. 10, the NY Times reported: Pope John Paul II made his prayer appeal at the papal palace in lakeside Castel Gandolfo, which is generally cooler than Rome. Drought-fed fires have plagued Italy, the Iberian Peninsula, France and arid areas of other countries. “I invite all to join in my prayers for the victims of this calamity, and I exhort all to raise to the Lord fervent entreaties so that He may grant the relief of rain to the thirsty Earth,” John Paul told pilgrims and tourists.
Today, the AP reports that “France’s worst heat wave on record has killed between 1,500 and 3,000 people, the Health Ministry said yesterday, as the government faced accusations that it failed to respond to a major health crisis. Deaths accelerated in the past week, with up to 180 people dying in one day in Paris from Europe’s sweltering summer, the ministry said.”
So will the Pope be explaining why “deaths accelerated” since he prayed on Sunday? Probably not. What about asking God to quit having the earth’s tectonic plates push together, creating earthquakes which will kill thousands in the future? Or why not ask God to change the nature of thunderstorms so that they quit producing the lightning that kills thousands each year? Dang design flaws!
Oy.