Bishop of Maasin moved by Pope’s concern for his diocese

(April 11,2006) In the Philippines, a local Bishop has been deeply touched by Pope Benedict XVI’s decisionto donate offerings from the mass on Mbaundy Thursday , April 13, in Rome’s Lateran Basilica,to rebuilding houses wiped out in last Feruary’s landslides in the country. Bishop Precioso D. Cantillas of Maasin said that he was “moved and touched by the fact, that the Pope continues to worry about the situation in my diocese”. Pope Benedict in fact announced that the offerings collected during the Mass in the Lateran Basilica, will go to reconstruction. During the ritual washing of the feet, the assembled faithful will be invited to make an act of charity, and donate money that under the Pope’s auspices will go towards rebuilding homes for landslide victims in the diocese of Maasin, in the Philippines. “The situation in the area has somewhat improved,” the prelate said. “The efforts by the diocese’s Social Acton Centres, and other governmental and non governmental agencies at rehabilitation are going ahead . I spent Palm Sunday with the landslide victims and visited orphans and went to see the progress in reconstruction. I am happy to say that 100 homes are being built for families that lost everything in the disaster.” According to figures released by the Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, the February 17 tragedy killed 972 people causing damages estimated at 4 million dollars.