Pope Francis Led a Silent Prayer for Typhoon Victims in Philippines on Sunday

A massive typhoon struck the Philippines last week and caused millions of dollars worth of damage and killed over 12,000 people, according to latest reports. Some survivors described the destruction as "hell on Earth," as they watched their homes and neighborhoods be destroyed.

Pope Francis led a silent prayer for over then thousand people in Vatican City on Sunday, urging them to keep the victims of the Philippines at the forefront of their thoughts. The Huffington Post wrote, "The pope told a crowd of pilgrims, tourists and Romans in St. Peter's Square on Sunday that he wanted to assure the people of the Philippines and surrounding region that he feels close to them. He lamented the high toll of dead and the enormous damage, then requested silent prayer for our 'brothers and sisters.' Francis also said, 'let us try to get out concrete aid' to those suffering from the storm."

Pope Francis also took to social media to acknowledge the destruction and loss of life in the Philippines. On Monday, he tweeted, "We remember the Philippines, Vietnam and the entire region hit by Typhoon Haiyan. Please be generous with prayers and concrete help."

Pope Francis's tweet on Monday was retweeted by more than 30,000 different Twitter accounts.