Pope asks nuncio to spend Christmas with typhoon victims

December 23, 2013 - Pope Francis has instructed his representative to the Philippines to spend Christmas with victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan, which struck the country last month and left some four million people destitute. Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Guiseppe Pinto has been asked to travel to the worst-hit area of Leyte. Filipino Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu said there were concerns about where the Vatican representative would stay whilst there, although Archbishop Pinto reportedly said he would “sleep in a tent”. The nuncio is scheduled to attend a gathering of members of religious congregations on December 24 and will celebrate Christmas Mass at Palo cathedral in Leyte in the evening. On Christmas Day, he will say Mass in Tacloban City and will lead gift-giving activities before returning to Manila. "These are the ways we can help," Archbishop Palma said. "They may not be really big, but I thought it’s enough to make the people feel that they are not alone." On November 8, Super Typhoon Haiyan hit the central Philippine provinces of Samar and Leyte, resulting in the devastation of cities and villages and the deaths of more than 6,000 people. (Source: UCANews)