Pope praying for victims of Swiss fire on New Year’s Eve

“Having learned of the tragic fire that occurred in Crans-Montana on the night of January 1, which left more than forty people dead and many injured,” Pope Leo XIV “joins in the mourning of the families and the entire Swiss Confederation,” said Cardinal Pietro Parolin in a telegram addressed to the Bishop of Sion, Jean-Marie Lovey, and released by the Holy See Press Office at midday on January 2.

The Pope thus wishes to “express his compassion and concern to the victims’ loved ones” after the fire, which broke out at around 1:30 a.m. on the night of December 31, 2025, to 1 January, 2026.

The blaze at the crowded bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana was apparently due to the use of pyrotechnic candles by waiters at the “Le Constellation,” where hundreds of people had gathered to celebrate New Year’s Eve.

The fire spread very quickly in a basement room and caused an explosion that claimed many victims, due to the fire and the rush towards the exit doors. The provisional death toll is at least 47, though this number is likely to rise as many injured are in critical condition.

Those with severe burns have been evacuated to hospitals throughout Switzerland and beyond, as far as northern Italy; six Italian nationals are reported missing.

Cardinal Parolin said that the pontiff “prays to the Lord to welcome the deceased into His dwelling place of peace and light, and to sustain the courage of those who suffer in their hearts or bodies.”

He asked that “the Mother of God, in Her tenderness, bring the comfort of faith to all those affected by this tragedy, and keep them in hope.”

Locally, the website cath.ch reports that Bishop Jean-Marie Lovey will preside over and preach a Mass on January 4 at 10 a.m. at the church in Crans.

The Bishop of Sion, Jean-Marie Lovey, has presided over a Mass for the victims, during which Abbé Alexandre Barras, the parish priest of Crans-Montana, preached.

“At least 400 people attended Mass. The church was full, and some people had to stay outside. Parishioners and rescue workers were present,” Abbé Pierre-Yves Maillard, Vicar General of the Diocese of Sion, told cath.ch.

On January 1, flags were flown at half-mast at the Federal Palace in Bern, and will remain so for a period of five days.

“Today, Switzerland is sad, but also united in spirit,” said Swiss President Guy Parmelin at a press conference in Sion. “This is one of the worst tragedies our country has ever experienced,” he acknowledged.