Officials say the wife and two children of Pope Francis� nephew were killed in a car crash in Argentina.
BBC reports that the nephew Emanuel Bergoglio was seriously injured in the accident which occurred in the Cordoba area, north-east of the capital, Buenos Aires.
The spokesman for the Pope, Francesco Lombardi said that the pope is �profoundly saddened, and that all who share in his grief should unite with him in prayer�.
His nephew and family were reportedly retuning home from a break when their car collided with a lorry shortly before midnight.
Emanuel�s wife, Valeria Carmona was 39, while the two children were Jose, 2, and 8-month-old Antonio. They were all killed.