Pope prays for Leyte landslide victims

Pope John Paul II expressed his sympathy yesterday for the estimated 200 people killed or missing in landslides and floods that hit the south of the predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines over the weekend.

In a message sent through the Apostolic Nuncio in Manila, the Pontiff said he was praying for "divine strength and comfort" for the families of those buried under tons of mud in the islands of Leyte and Mindanao.

"(I am) deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life resulting from the recent landslides in the Philippines," the Pope’s message read.

"The Holy Father commends the deceased to the loving mercy of almighty God, and upon their grieving families and all those injured he invokes divine strength and comfort.

"His holiness likewise prays for the rescue workers and all involved in providing assistance to the victims of this disaster encouraging them to persevere in their efforts to bring relief and support," the statement said.

The communication, sent directly from Rome, was signed by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican Secretary of State.

It was released here early yesterday morning by Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Antonio Franco.

The Nuncio forwarded the message to Bishop Precioso Cantillas of the Society of Don Bosco, bishop of the Maasin diocese in Southern Leyte.

Monsignor Jain Mendez, the first secretary of the apostolic nunciature in Manila, sent an accompanying letter to Bishop Cantillas.

"May I ask your excellency please kindly transmit this message of the Holy Father also to the civil authorities in Southern Leyte, especially in the San Francisco and Liloan towns," Mendez said.

John Paul II has always been deeply interested in the Philippines, ever since his first stopover in Manila before he became pope, when he said Mass at Baclaran Church on a Wednesday evening.

The devotion, prayerfulness and smiling hospitality of the Filipinos were further impressed on the Pope in January 1995, when five million people attended his final Mass during World Youth Day celebrations at Manila’s Rizal Park.

As he concluded the Mass and was about to leave, he had said: "John Paul is well in the Philippines. I want to return. I do not know how, but I want to return."

Fr. James Reuter, SJ, noted that the Pope has a genuine affection for the Philippines and for Filipinos as "he has reacted to every crisis we have had."

Reuter recalled that last January, the 83-year-old Pope spoke to Filipinos directly on a large screen at Rizal Park via satellite television.

"It was the best he could do, because his doctors would not allow him to take the long trip from Rome to Manila," Reuter said.

Meanwhile, Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales called on the government to act on the country’s ecological destruction that results in repeated similar environmental disasters.

Rosales, a pro-environment advocate, called on the government for "restoration of the forest as quickly as possible."

He also sent a message to the victims. "We are praying for you. We are very sorry on what happened to you. The government should stop this ecological disaster that has been happening from time to time," he said.

Flash floods over the weekend in Southern Leyte and Mindanao caused landslides that left nearly 200 dead or missing, a tragedy blamed on denuded mountain slopes caused by illegal logging and land conversion. — With AFP