Prayers for the Leyte Landslide Victims

The death toll in the Leyte Landslide catastrophe has risen to 1,800. Prayers are requested for all the victims -- those who perished and for their bereaved families, as well as the survivors. They need our prayers the most during these hard times of their lives. Below is the message the Holy Father Benedict XVI sent to Bishop Precioso Cantillas, SDB, DD, the Bishop of Maasin (from www.vatican.va). So let us join the Holy Father and the whole Philippine Church in praying for the victims, the survivors, and their families.

Holy Father sends condolences for
landslide victims in The Philippines

When the Holy Father learned that a massive mudslide, on Friday, 17 February, probably caused by persistent heavy rains, had buried the village of Guinsaugon in Southern Leyte, The Philippines, he expressed his sorrow at this tragedy in a Telegram to Bishop Precioso D. Cantillas of Maasin. Virtually the entire village was buried under mud and boulders and the majority of its population is still missing. The following is the text of the Holy Father's Telegram which was released on Friday, 17 February, and signed by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Secretary of State.

Dear Bishop Cantillas,
Deeply saddened by news of the tragic landslide which has destroyed the village of Guinsaugon, the Holy Father offers fervent prayers for those who have died and he invokes divine consolation upon those who mourn. He prays that the relief effort will be swift and generous in its response to the disaster and asks the Lord to grant courage and strength to all involved in the task of caring for those who have lost their homes. Entrusting you and your people to the protection of Mary, Comfort of the Afflicted, he cordially imparts his Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of strength and peace in the Lord.

Cardinal Angelo Sodano
Secretary of State