VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis met with the families of 18 Polish miners who were killed in two mining accidents in Poland in 2022, according to the Holy See. 

The first accident occurred on April 20 at the Pniowek mine after a methane explosion. The second accident, just three days later, occurred on April 23 at the Boreynia-Zofiowka mine after a firestorm caused an explosion. 

“Prayer sometimes, in these moments… it seems that God does not listen to us,” the pontiff said on Friday. 

“This is the silence of the dead and the silence of God. And this silence sometimes makes us angry. Do not be afraid: anger too is a prayer,” the pope said as he invited the victims’ families to pray. At the end of the event, he greeted and blessed each guest. 

Poland is the second-largest coal-mining country in Europe, producing over 50 million tons per year. Since the accident last spring, safety conditions at the coal mines have become a priority at the respective mines, according to Vatican News.