ASIA/TAIWAN - LOCAL CATHOLIC CENTRE FOR SARS EMERGENCY: CARDINAL SHAN SAYS DO NOT BE AFRAID OF ONE ANOTHER

Tuesday, 20 May 2003

Taipei (Fides Service) – While the situation of the SARS emergency on the Island is ever more critical, the Catholic Church in Taiwan has opened a Catholic Centre for the SARS Emergency. The Centre, opened under the patronage of Cardinal Paul Shan, President of the Chinese Regional Bishops’ Conference and also Bishop of Kaohsiung, has various sectors: health care; education, solidarity and public relations and it works closely with state health institutes and local authorities.
At this time of crisis the strength of communion is the support of Catholics. Cardinal Shan says this in a message entitled “Love is the way to fight SARS” issued to address the present emergency situation. In the message the Cardinal stresses that “the barriers which condition our human relationships, fear which leads people to flee from one another will not help to find a way out of this tragedy, instead these are the main obstacles to combating the emergency. At the same time this attitude is a blow to the patients and to suspect cases”.
The Cardinal continues: “Love knows no fear, on the contrary perfect love removes fear (1 Jn 4,18). At this time of fear and fleeing, let us contemplate the Mystery of the Incarnation, Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Son of God and let us experience the Absolute and Perfect Love which the Lord has given to us. This love is the source of our inexhaustible strength. This love will overcome human fear and help us to show ever greater solidarity to those involved in the SARS crisis. Precisely the infinite strength contained in this reciprocal Love will be the means with which we can defeat the SARS nightmare. Love one another as I have loved you (Jn 15,12) this is the commandment of Love that the Lord Jesus Christ, Risen and Glorious, left us before he gave up his life for the salvation of humanity by dying on the cross. If we live together in the Spirit of the Lord Jesus, through the infinite power of reciprocal Love together we will defeat SARS and we will manifest the glory of the Lord!” (Fides Service 20/5/2003 EM lines 35 Words: 379)


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