VATICAN CITY (CNS) – As a sign of his closeness and concern, Pope Francis sent aid money to hurricane-stricken Haiti.

An initial donation of $100,000 was sent through the Pontifical Council Cor Unum to be distributed through the hardest-hit dioceses to assist flood victims. , the council said in a communique Oct. 14.

The first round of funding was meant to be “concrete expression of Pope Francis’ feelings of spiritual closeness and fatherly support for the people and places” that have been affected, it said. The papal contribution is part of the church’s network of humanitarian aid, which includes help from different bishops’ conferences and numerous Catholic charities, it said.