Vatican City ( AsiaNews) - The Press Office of the Holy See has announced
that Card. Robert
Sarah, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum will go to the Philippines
to visit areas affected by the typhoon Haiyan in November 2013. The
disaster struck the central provinces of Leyte and Cebu , wiping out entire
villages and killing at least 5 thousand people. The
cardinal's visit will be from January 26 to 31.
Below
we publish here an AsiaNews translation of the official Cor Unum statement.
Card. Robert
Sarah will visit areas affected by Typhoon Haiyan - Yolanda on November 8 last
year on behalf of Pope Francis. He will
bring a sign of the Holy Father's comfort and spiritual closeness to the
population, which now must undertake the reconstruction of the area ravaged by
natural disaster, as well as promote the network of aid of those who are
already working on he ground.
The
mission will take place January 26 to 31 , and includes three stages of
particular importance : an encounter with the Filipino bishops, currently in plenary
session, a meeting with the President of the Republic of the Philippines ,
Benigno Aquino III ,
and a visit to the town of Tacloban , which is the most affected by the
typhoon.
In the context of the
visit Card. Sarah
will present, on behalf of the Holy Father, the commitment to realize through
"Cor Unum", a project for the new construction of an orphanage and a
home for the elderly. The
building will include among other things a small convent for nuns , a chapel,
and a healthcare clinic.
According
to recent Caritas Philippines / Nassa reports the Haiyan - Yolanda - typhoon
that hit the Visayas islands (central Philippines ), caused more than 5,500
dead, more than 26 thousand wounded and nearly 2 thousand missing. There
are about 3.8 million displaced, belonging to more than 851 thousand families. In
total, almost 12 million people who suffered damage or losses for various
reasons, scattered among 574 municipalities and cities, and now there are fears
of epidemics breaking out.
On
hearing the news, the Holy Father decided to allocate through "Cor
Unum" , a first contribution of 150,000 dollars for emergency relief to
the people, in support of the work carried out in assistance for displaced
persons and the flood victims, which
were added to the funds allocated by the Church as a whole, the local Churches
and parishes around the world , through the Caritas network and other national
and diocesan charities.