Search

Results

An anything-but-peaceful week in the Pacific

04 Oct 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The Pharisees tested Jesus with their question on divorce, we hear in this Sunday's gospel. The people and disaster resources of nations across the Pacific are being tested this week by a spate of powerful natural disasters. The Philippines suffered the worst flooding to hit the country in more than 40 years after tropical storm Ketsana swept through earlier in the week. Overwhelmed officials have called for international help in the storm's aftermath and fear that another powerful storm could hit as early as Friday. Ketsana grew to typhoon-force as it gathered strength across the South China Sea before blowing down wooden villages in Cambodia and crushing Vietnamese houses under mudslides. "We're used to storms that sweep away one or two houses. But I've never seen a storm this strong," said Nam Tum, governor of Cambodia's Kampong Thom province. The storm has claimed at least 331 lives across the region. The Vietnamese government said the tempest destroyed or damaged nearly 180,000 homes, inundated 150,000 more, and flattened crops across central Vietnam. More than 350,000 people were evacuated from the typhoon's path, posing a logistical headache to shelter and feed them. "The scale of the devastation is stretching all of us," said Minnie Portales, a World Vision aid agency official in the Philippines. Meanwhile, disaster officials rushed food, medicine, and a temporary morgue to the Samoas on Wednesday after a powerful earthquake unleashed a tsunami that leveled villages and swept cars and people out to sea. At least 119 people were killed, and the death toll is expected to rise. Many towns and tourist resorts along the southern coast of Samoa's main Upolu Island were "destroyed," according to witnesses. In addition, a powerful earthquake rocked western Indonesia Wednesday, trapping thousands under collapsed buildings--including two hospitals--and triggering landslides. At least 75 people were killed on the island of Sumatra, and the number of dead is predicted to climb sharply. Source: Articles by Rohan Sullivan, Teresa Cerojano, and Tran Van Minh for Associated Press

pacific indonesia upolu island tsunami samoas world vision minnie portales nam tum vietnam cambodia ketsana philippines disasters earthquake flooding sumatra
Filipino Catholics' outrage forces art exhibit shutdown

14 Aug 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In this Sunday’s reading from the Book of Isaiah, the Lord promises to “bring to my holy mountain” “all who keep the sabbath free from profanation.” An art exhibit at the state-run Cultural Center of the Philippines that combined Christian symbols with sexual objects struck many in this heavily Catholic country as profane. It was shut down this week after it provoked heated debate as well as threats and vandalism. The decision by the center’s board of directors Tuesday came after former first lady and art patron Imelda Marcos joined politicians and Roman Catholic church leaders in denouncing the exhibit. The board said it made the decision because of “an increasing number of threats to persons and property,” including the artists and cultural center staff. The exhibit by contemporary Filipino artists including Mideo Cruz prompted heated debate about freedom of expression, with President Benigno Aquino II describing it as offensive to the 85 percent of Filipinos who, like him, are Christian. Aquino said he reminded the cultural center that freedoms should be ennobling, and “when you stoke conflict, that is not an ennobling activity.” One sculpture portrayed Christ as Mickey Mouse while a collage combined an image of Christ with pictures of celebrities, commercial products, and characters from children’s TV shows. Condoms, rosaries, and wooden sexual symbols adorned the wall. Source: An article by the Associated Press

philippines art exhibitions freedom of expression cultural center of the philippines mideo cruz benigno aquino ii imelda marcos
Filipino Catholics' outrage forces art exhibit shutdown

14 Aug 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In this Sunday’s reading from the Book of Isaiah, the Lord promises to “bring to my holy mountain” “all who keep the sabbath free from profanation.” An art exhibit at the state-run Cultural Center of the Philippines that combined Christian symbols with sexual objects struck many in this heavily Catholic country as profane. It was shut down this week after it provoked heated debate as well as threats and vandalism. The decision by the center’s board of directors Tuesday came after former first lady and art patron Imelda Marcos joined politicians and Roman Catholic church leaders in denouncing the exhibit. The board said it made the decision because of “an increasing number of threats to persons and property,” including the artists and cultural center staff. The exhibit by contemporary Filipino artists including Mideo Cruz prompted heated debate about freedom of expression, with President Benigno Aquino II describing it as offensive to the 85 percent of Filipinos who, like him, are Christian. Aquino said he reminded the cultural center that freedoms should be ennobling, and “when you stoke conflict, that is not an ennobling activity.” One sculpture portrayed Christ as Mickey Mouse while a collage combined an image of Christ with pictures of celebrities, commercial products, and characters from children’s TV shows. Condoms, rosaries, and wooden sexual symbols adorned the wall. Source: An article by the Associated Press

philippines art exhibitions freedom of expression cultural center of the philippines mideo cruz benigno aquino ii imelda marcos
Church responds to Philippines typhoon disaster

17 Nov 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place,” Jesus told his disciples about the end time. While Typhoon Haiyan may not have signaled the end of the world, it has certainly changed the worlds of the millions of people in the Philippines and beyond.One of the most powerful land-storms ever recorded, the 195-mile-per-hour winds of the “super typhoon” brought mass destruction and death to the central Phillippines, with the provinces of Leyte and Samar hit the hardest. In addition to the thousands of fatalities, the Philippine government has put the number of people affected at about 8 million, while the United Nations Office for Co-Ordination of Humanitairan Affairs says 11.3 million are in need of vital goods and services.The storm devastated Tacloban, a Leyte island city of 225,000, and Christine Atillo-Villero, a doctor from nearby Cebu City, said “90 percent” of her hometown “is destroyed—nothing left.” The Sisters of the Divine Savior in Cebu have opened their damaged school office as a shelter, while the Sisters of Mercy said their community in Tacloban had been “badly affected.”Because the storm also struck a region of small islands, communication among aid workers as well as delivery of help to the area has been extremely difficult. Joe Curry, country director for the U.S. Catholic bishops’ Catholic Relief Services, said workers would have to go island-hopping to get to those most in need. Brother James Lee of the Philippine Jesuit province said even the military cannot get to different sectors and so there are problems securely distributing food and other supplies.As early as November 5 Philippine officials began a major effort to get residents in the typhoon’s path out of their homes and into reinforced structures and to secure crops and livestock. In a national address President Benigno Aquino implored those at risk to cooperate. But “despite the precautions,” said Father Edwin Gariguez, executive security of the Philippines arm of Caritas International, the Vatican-based international network of Catholic aid agencies, “this was beyond all expectations.”Aquino told CNN that storms like Haiyan were becoming more frequent and that there should be "no debate" climate change was happening. Either the world commits itself to action on climate change, he said, or "let us be prepared to meet disasters." The World Meterological Organization (WMO) said record high sea levels combined with rising temperatures mean a greater likelihood of the kind of coastal destruction Haiyan-like storms cause. 2013 is heading toward being among the top-ten warmest years on record, the WMO says.At his November 10 Angelus in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis asked for prayers for typhoon victims and expressed his “closeness to the people of the Philippines and that region.” He also encouraged the thousands of gathered pilgrims: “Let’s try also to make our concrete help reach them.”Homily hint: In addition to his prayers Pope Francis gave $150,000 to Haiyan relief efforts through the Pontifical Council Cor Unum. Numerous organizations are accepting donations, among them Catholic Relief Services. Encourage your community to help in whatever way it can. Sources: Articles by Carol Glatz and Simone Orendain and other news items from Catholic News Service,an article by BBC News, and news items from sistersofthediviesavior.org and sistersof mercy.org

Pope Francis caritas international tacloban cebu city leyte samar typhoons typhoon haiyan catholic relief services philippines disasters benigno aquino