1454 Landslide tragedy in Bishop Cantilla's diocese
austraLasia 1454
Philippines tragedy in Diocese administered by Bishop
Precioso Cantillas SDB
MAASIN: 18th February 2006 -- The village of
Guinsaugon, on the island of Leyte in the south central Philippines,
belongs to Maasin Diocese which Salesian Bishop Precioso Cantillas has
been bishop of now since 1997. Further details of the tragedy can
be easily picked up through the media generally, but anything up to
1,500 people or more, including an entire school population, may
eventually be lost under an entire mountainside of mud and rocks which
has obliterated the village. The Bishop had only recently, just
before the disaster, returned from celebrations of the centenary of the
China Province.
The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has written to
Bishop Cantillas in the following words: "...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...etc". The message was
sent by Cardinal Sodano in the Pope's name as is usual in these
circumstances.
In 1991, Leyte province was the scene of one of the
worst disasters in the history of the Philippines. More than
5,000 people died as the result of a typhoon and the ensuing flooding.
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