floods Archives

Burials continue after deadly Sierra Leone mudslides
- Associated Press, Global Church
- August 17, 2017
Sierra Leone has pleaded for international assistance as it reels from yet another disaster just a couple of years after the Ebola outbreak that left thousands in the region dead. With rain forecast for at least the coming week, the threat of further mudslides around Freetown remained. Many poor areas are near sea level and have poor drainage systems, which makes flooding worse during the rainy season.
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Pope “deeply saddened” by flooding devastation in Sierra Leone
- Global Church
- August 16, 2017
“His Holiness Pope Francis assures those who have lost loved ones of his closeness at this difficult time. He prays for all who have died, and upon their grieving families and friends he invokes the divine blessings of strength and consolation,” reads a letter from Pope Francis to the Archbishop in Sierra Leone, where floods and mudslides caused hundreds of deaths.
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Go out now, share the Gospel, get messy, pope tells Quebec bishops
- Catholic News Service, Vatican
- May 12, 2017
“You’ve got to go, and it’s going to be messy,” this is the message Pope Francis gave to Canadian bishops visiting the Vatican for the “ad limina” visits. The bishops discussed several issues with the pope, from secularization to the role of women in the Church.
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Quebec bishops offer prayers, encouragement for flood victims

During their “ad limina” visits to the Vatican, Quebec bishops did not forget to pray for those at home affected by heavy floods in their Canadian province. The bishops expressed their solidarity, established a disaster relief fund, and asked Pope Francis to pray for them.

Deluges in Peru trigger flash floods, landslides; at least 85 dead

Unusually warm water in the Pacific Ocean off Peru is causing heavy rains on the usually arid coast, swamping cities that have poor drainage and destroying wood or mud-brick houses not built to withstand a downpour. Catholic organizations are leading the way in providing humanitarian help.