ASIA/CHINA - Catholic Charities in relief of flood-affected populations

Wednesday, 26 June 2024 natural disasters local churches caritas

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Meizhou (Fides Agency ) - On behalf of Bishop Joseph Li Shan of Beijing and Bishop Joseph Shen Bin of Shanghai, the Catholic Relief Services network is once again at the forefront of the relief efforts for the victims of the floods and landslides that have struck the city of Meizhou in Guangdong province, causing heavy losses.
Since June 21, the Catholic relief team led by Joseph Liao Hongqing, Bishop of Meizhou, in coordination with the local authorities, has reached out to the areas most affected by the floods to provide spiritual comfort to the population and distribute some relief goods donated by the Guangzhou Diocese and others collected by the Catholic charity organization "Jinde Charities" in Shijiang, the capital of Hebei Province.
At the same time, "Jinde Charities" is working closely with the Bishops' Council of Guangdong Province, in particular with Joseph Gan Junqiu, Bishop of Guangzhou, and Joseph Huang Bingzhang, Bishop of Shantou, who have contacted various parishes in the affected areas and the local authorities to assess the extent of the disaster and initiate the relief plan.
According to first-hand information from Bishop Joseph Huang Liao, who keeps traveling to the various affected areas, the most urgent task is to clear the mud and provide people with drinking water, food and other relief supplies. Some schools in the region have also been badly damaged.
Catholic communities across the country are praying and mobilizing for the people in the affected areas and for relief efforts.
The diocese of Meizhou was founded in 1850 thanks to the preaching of the Gospel by French missionaries. In 1925, the pastoral care of the region was entrusted to the Maryknoll missionaries.
After the revival of church life in 1978, pastoral, charitable and social work in the diocese flourished. Today, the Catholic community has over 50,000 baptized people, dozens of priests, 15 sisters of the diocesan congregation of the Missionaries of the Holy Mother of God and 45 churches and chapels.
(NZ) (Fides Agency 26/6/2024)