Philippines Card. Rosales urges fasting to identify with underfed children

(Tues. 27 Feb.2007):- In this year’s Lenten message of the Philippines, Cardinal Gaudencia Rosales - Archbishop of Manila, has urged the faithful to offer the fruit of their sacrifice for hungry children. In the Philippines, 7 and a half million children aged under 10 suffer from malnutrition. Explaining that fasting is an opportunity to identify with the hungry poor of the country, Cardinal Rosales urged Filipino Catholics to fast as a sign of solidarity with the poor, especially undernourished children. “In these days, let us keep in mind that for every morsel of food that we do not eat, there is a child who rummages garbage cans to fill his empty stomach” he said. In order to make our fasting and sacrifices meaningful in the Lenten season, the Cardinal requested everyone to make an offering to help the Integrated Nutrition Programme “Save the lives of malnourished children.” Under this programme, 65,000 poor children in 37 dioceses in the country, with over 300 participating parishes are fed. It aims to feed 120,000 more children in 2007. The cardinal ended by expressing the hope that our fasting will extend well beyond the Lenten season because the poor are always among us.
The president of the bishops’ conference of the Philippines, Archbishop Angel Lagdameo urged the faithful to look to the needs of the poor. It is important that while preparing for Easter, a renewal among individuals should take place, without which, society will not be renewed, he added.