Church of Pakistan holds day of prayer against floods

(Aug.26,2010) Catholics in Pakistan on Tuesday observed a day of prayer to strengthen their efforts against the enormous damage caused by flooding in the country. The day of prayer, as well as the organization of the emergency, comes on the heels of an invitation issued by the Bishops' Conference on August 20.
Bishop Joseph Coutts of Faisalabad and National Director of Caritas, explained that in his diocese, Christians and Muslims are working together to raise funds and aid. The bishops' letter, signed by Archbishop Lawrence Saldhana, president of the Episcopal Conference, described the measure of the disaster: It said "Our country is facing the biggest natural disaster in its history. Over 15 million people have been affected and thousands of homes have been washed away by the raging waters. "At this critical moment of national tragedy, it is our Christian duty to stand shoulder to shoulder with our Muslim and Hindu brethren and face the common calamity with courage and determination. We, your religious leaders want to mobilize our limited resources in doing what we can, to alleviate the sufferings of the many displaced persons. We appeal to all our members to come forward and help the flood-hit people with cooked foods or dry rations, and also provide tents for shelter and medicines against cholera and other diseases. Our youth are urged to serve as volunteers in relief camps".
Bishop Coutts said that with regard to Christians, the dioceses most affected are those of Hyderabad, Multan, Rawalpindi and Quetta, but the torrential rains have resulted in damage to life and people in other dioceses," he added.