Pope Francis on Tuesday called Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York to express his love and concern for the people of New York during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a statement released by the archdiocese.
"Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, called me this afternoon at about 2 p.m. to express his love, concern, and closeness to all the people of New York, especially those who are sick, during the coronavirus outbreak," Dolan said.
Francis told Dolan that New Yorkers were "in his prayers in a special way," Dolan said. "He asked me to relay his prayerful best wishes to the sick, the doctors, nurses, EMTs, medical professionals and caregivers who are tending to them, our civic leaders, as well as our priests, religious and lay people."
Dolan said he thanked the pope for his leadership during the pandemic, "and assured him of the love and prayers of the people of New York for him and his ministry."
New York has been especially hard hit, with 10,000 deaths attributed to coronavirus out of a total 25,000 nationwide. The United States has the largest number of reported COVID-19 deaths, though it is widely believed China, where the pandemic was first discovered, has massively underreported the number of deaths in that country.
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