Pope Francis Sends Aid to Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi after Cyclone

by CNS · March 24, 2019

People stand on a road damaged by Cyclone Idai in Beira, Mozambique. Hundreds were feared dead in Mozambique four days after a cyclone slammed into the country, submerging entire villages and leaving bodies floating in the floodwaters, the nation’s president said. (CNS photo/Josh Estey, Care International via Reuters)

By Catholic News Service – As an immediate sign of his concern and encouragement to other donors, Pope Francis has sent $50,000 each to Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi to assist with initial emergency relief efforts after a cyclone hit the region and caused massive flooding.

As of March 22, at least 300 people were known to have died, thousands have been injured and hundreds of thousands left homeless, according to the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

The dicastery, which will distribute the aid from the pope through the Vatican nunciatures in each country, said the week of torrential rain in the region has “razed to the ground tens of thousands of homes and public buildings” and made major roads impassable.

The water and electricity distribution systems have been compromised and there is a growing concern about the spread of diseases, particularly through unclean water.

The Vatican described Pope Francis’ donation as a “first contribution” and “an immediate expression of his feeling of spiritual closeness” to the people impacted.

In addition, it noted, the contribution is only “part of the aid that is being gathered throughout the Catholic Church” from bishops’ conferences and charitable organisations.

In Washington, the chairmen of the U.S. bishops’ subcommittee on Africa and their international policy committee said that Catholic Relief Services has set up an emergency relief initiative to collect resources to provide humanitarian aid “and begin the longer-term recovery efforts” in the three African countries.