"Let us pray for the Church and the world, and particularly for people affected by the earthquake and by catastrophes linked to nature and the environment," the pope said.

"Our spiritual and material support towards those in difficulty must never weaken," he added in front of an audience of 50,000 people, according to the Vatican.

The 7.6-magnitude quake, which occurred on October 8, killed an estimated 53,000 people in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir and some 1,300 in neighbouring Indian Kashmir.

The following day, the pope asked the international community to react "with generosity" to the disaster.