PANJIM: Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Filip Neri Ferrao, on Friday expressed solidarity and sympathy with the thousands of people who have lost their homes and other possessions during the Kerala disaster.
The Church in Goa has also appealed to offer fervent prayers for the victims of the disaster, particularly those who lost their dear ones, suffered injuries and are left with nothing.
“We are receiving reports from various sources of the media regarding unprecedented rains causing floods and landslides throughout the State of Kerala, with huge loss of property and even of precious human life. More than two lakh people have been rendered homeless, while water levels continue to rise, causing fear and panic in the whole State,” Archbishop Ferrao said.
He added, “Caritas-India, the social service wing of the Church for humanitarian work, has already swung into action and is joining hands with the government and other agencies to provide immediate relief and assistance to the affected people.”
He further said that, in this hour of pain, all need to reach out to their brothers and sisters in distress not only through prayer, but also materially.
“The Church in Goa has been generous in the past, when natural calamities of this nature have created havoc in the lives of whole populations. Time has come to rise up again to the call of distress. Recalling the exhortation of St Paul, “Let love be genuine” (Rom. 12:9), let us respond to this new challenge and help the people of Kerala to reconstruct their lives and strengthen their faith in humankind,” the Archbishop said.
The Archdiocese has already sent to Caritas-India a significant amount as an immediate contribution of the Church in Goa towards relief operations.
