Pope Leo XIV expressed his solidarity with the people of the Philippines.
The Philippines was battered by two strong typhoons, and Pope Leo XIV expressed this prayer for the victims of the cyclones.
Over 200 people have died because of Typhoon Tino, with 109 missing, and 156 injured across the Visayas and parts of Mindanao. According to the reports, Cebu was the hardest-hit province, with 141 deaths, 57 missing, and 123 injured. The figures are not finalized yet, as the toll will be changed.
(Aerial view in Talamban, Cebu after Typhoon Tino)
Authorities said earlier that rescue and relief operations are ongoing in the affected areas. Tino damaged over 48K houses in Negros Occidental.
After Tino, Super Typhoon Uwan affected Luzon, bringing torrential rains, strong winds, and triggering severe flooding. It brought massive damage, while a large area in Luzon was left without electricity, killing at least two people and displacing more than a million.
As the entire country is reeling from the aftermath, with the others being generous enough to donate and call out for help, those who are in need.
To also show his solidarity with the people, Pope Leo XIV extended prayers for the victims of the typhoon. The Pope expressed his closeness to the people of the Philippines affected by the violent storms.
“I express my closeness to the people of the Philippines who have been hit by a violent typhoon: I pray for the deceased and their families, as well as for the injured and displaced,” the pope wrote on his X account.
He is known to have a close connection with Cebu and was able to visit the province three times when he was then Fr. Robert Francis Prevost, the prior general of the Order of Saint Augustine.
He was in Cebu in 2004 and blessed the Augustinian friary at the Santo Niño de Cebu Parish in Talisay City. He went there again in 2008 and led the blessing of the Santo Niño Spirituality Center. In 2009, he celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Augustinian Province of Santo Niño de Cebu at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño.
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