Posted on 09/05/2005 8:51:44 AM PDT by Salvation
Vatican, Sep. 05 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) is sending a personal donation to relief efforts for the victims of hurricane Katrina.
The Holy Father has dispatched Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, the head of the pontifical charity Cor Unum, to deliver the aid and to express the Pope's sympathy to the hurricane victims.
As his Angelus audience on Sunday, September 4, Pope Benedict drew attention to the devastating storm that had ravaged the southern United States. He gave his "assurance of my prayers for the deceased and for their relatives, for the injured and the homeless, for the sick, for children and for elderly people; I bless all those who are committed to the difficult work of aid and reconstruction."
The Pope also voiced his sorrow at the deaths of hundreds of Iraqis-- "mostly elderly people, women, and children"-- in a panic-induced stampede at a Baghdad mosque. He prayed "that a climate of reconciliation and reciprocal trust may finally be instated in that troubled country."
The amount of the Pope's financial contribution to relief efforts for the American hurricane victims was not announced. The funds will be provided through the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, of which Archbishop Cordes is the president.
Cor Unum, established by Pope Paul VI in 1971, was set up to provide material aid for needy people in the name of the Roman Pontiff and the universal Catholic Church. The papal charity frequently responds to natural disasters, and Archbishop Cordes has regularly traveled to the scene to bring the Pope's message of support and to help coordinate relief efforts, especially among Catholic agencies.
In the year 2004, Cor Unum sent more than 1.5 million euros ($1.88 million) in emergency aid to the victims of floods, hurricanes, fires, earthquakes, and warfare. Shortly before his death Pope John Paul II (bio - news) send substantial grants to the victims of the December 2004 tidal wave in southern Asia.
In addition to the special donations made in emergencies at the Pope's direction, Cor Unum also administers two major funds: the John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel, which makes grants to projects counteracting desertification in sub-Saharan Africa; and the Populorum Progression Foundation, making grants to development projects in Latin America. The funds for Cor Unum come from contributions sent to the Holy See by Catholic dioceses, institutions, and individuals.
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Second collection at Mass this past Sunday was for the hurricane relief.
Thank you to the Pope and Vatican!
We had a missionary priest, St. Patrick Fathers, from Malawi, Africa, this last week and the second collection went to them.
So I am sure this next week we will have a second collection for the Katrina survivors.
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