By Magda Kus, Cape Town
When natural disasters or shack fires have struck in the past, I often felt it is a pity that Muslim organisations like the Gift of the Givers, non-denominational ones like the Red Cross, and commercial ones like supermarkets or radio stations have responded faster than we Catholics do with appeals for help for those afflicted.
Can the South African Catholic Church put together something for those suffering in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines? A special collection at Masses — anything?
I would rather support a Catholic appeal, hoping that all the money gets where it is intended, than an organisation about which I know less.
At the time of writing this letter, no one I e-mailed was aware of any local Catholic response.
I know Pope Francis was sending aid, as was Caritas and other Catholic aid organisations, as well as civic authorities of a host of countries. We South Africans are late.
Naturally we should also be praying for the victims and their families, but, as a Filipino friend shared on Facebook, our pope does encourage “concrete help” as well.
I do realise that we have our own poor right next-door to us that we should already be helping — but in disasters of this magnitude, both the poor and those who may have helped them have been devastated.
Let’s not only be inward-looking.
- Flabbergasted by a devout Holy Mass - January 30, 2024
- The Language of the Heart - August 8, 2023
- Let’s Discuss Our Church’s Bible Past - July 12, 2023
