Vatican News
On Thursday, August 27, the Pope sent a telegram expressing his pain over the events that took place in Nepal the day before, when a flood affected a vast area near Tibet.
Prompt assistance from the Pope
Now, in agreement with the Apostolic Nunciature in Nepal, Leo XIV has provided financial assistance to meet the most urgent needs of the disaster-affected population. This support will help Caritas Nepal, operating under the leadership of the Apostolic Vicariate, in the efforts already underway from the very first hours after the flood, aimed at providing immediate relief by delivering food and essential supplies, as well as providing shelter for those who have lost everything.
“This is the first aid that the Holy Father, as on other occasions, wanted to send in response to the most urgent needs of the population,” explains the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín. “It is a prompt and concrete sign, intended above all to convey to the most vulnerable the expression of the Holy Father’s closeness and tenderness—like a tender gesture from the Church that accompanies and supports them.”
Tragic toll
According to the latest toll, more than 630 people have died in various disaster-stricken regions, and nearly 3,000 remain missing, among them more than 500 foreigners. The Nepalese army has been deployed to help rescue over 100 people believed to be trapped in a hydroelectric plant tunnel in the district most affected by the disaster.
Assistance from the Italian Episcopate
The Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) has also engaged in helping Nepal, as it has done for other regions of the world affected by natural disasters, including Colombia, Peru, and Indonesia. It was decided to allocate a total of 500,000 euros from funds donated by citizens to the Catholic Church to address the most urgent needs.
“This is,” explains Card. Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna and President of the CEI, “a sign of the closeness of the Church in Italy to a population that has to face severe humanitarian crises. The suffering of those who live far away cannot be a matter of indifference to us: it concerns us too and calls us to responsibility.”
“To reach out a hand to a person in need,” reads the CEI statement, “means recognizing that no one can save themselves alone and that what unites us is stronger than the distances that separate us. Through gestures of brotherhood and care, we can rebuild bonds, sustain hope, and make peace a real possibility, especially in times still marked by tensions, divisions, and conflicts.”
Caritas Poland is also helping
Caritas Poland has joined in helping those affected. “In such dramatic moments, they most need to feel that they are not alone,” emphasizes Director Fr. Janusz Majda.
“We will allocate the raised funds to the most urgent needs—food, clean water, medical supplies, and hygiene products. In such dramatic moments, those affected most need to feel that they are not alone. The Caritas community is with them,” points out Fr. Majda.
On site, Caritas has launched a kitchen to provide food for 300 families over the next 15 days. Transports with food and other essential supplies are also being prepared. The assistance also includes clothing, blankets, tents, and medicines, as well as medical care, particularly for pregnant women and mothers with small children.
Caritas Poland and Caritas Nepal already cooperated in helping the victims of the 2015 earthquake. This time too, after the initial rescue phase, long-term support will be necessary, including the reconstruction of homes and medical and psychological assistance.
