Pope assures 'Ondoy' victims of 'spiritual closeness' and prayers

Pope Benedict XVI assured victims of tropical storm “Ondoy" (Ketsana) Friday (Vatican time) of his spiritual closeness and prayers to them. The pope relayed the message in his address to new Philippine Ambassador to the Holy See Mercedes Arrastia-Tuason as she presented her credentials to him at the Vatican. “I would ask you to convey to her and to all the beloved Filipino people the assurance of my spiritual closeness and prayers, especially for the victims of Typhoon Ketsana," he said in his message, the text of which was posted on Catholic volunteer-run news site Zenit (http://www.zenit.org/rssenglish-27024). Close to 300 had been confirmed dead in the wake of “Ondoy," which hit the country last weekend. The northern part of the country is currently being battered by another typhoon, “Pepeng" (international code name: Parma), which came a week after Ondoy left. During the meeting with the new Philippine envoy, the pope also voiced confidence that the faith of the Filipino people will make them resilient “to face any hardship or difficulty." “I am confident that the faith of the Filipino people - a faith, as Your Excellency has indicated, which gives them the ‘resilience’ to face any hardship or difficulty - will arouse in them a desire to participate ever more fervently in the worldwide task of building up a civilization of love, the seed of which God has implanted in every people and every culture," he said. On the other hand, the pope said he was pleased to note the various development initiatives under way in the Philippines, including the modernization of irrigation systems, the improvement of public transportation and the reform of social assistance programs. But he maintained that development programs must be primarily aimed at improving the actual living conditions of the poorest. He also stressed honesty, integrity and justice among those in government. “Above all, the struggle against poverty calls for honesty, integrity and an unwavering fidelity to the principles of justice, especially on the part of those directly entrusted with the offices of governance and public administration," he said. The pope further urged Filipinos to “persevere" in regions that have been sadly scarred by conflicts. “I encourage all to persevere so that peace may prevail," he said. He lauded many groups such as the Bishops Ulama Conference (BUC), the Mindanao People's Conference, as well as that of many grassroots organizations, which he said are taking courageous steps to bring people together to foster reconciliation and mutual understanding." “The Special Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial Meeting on Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace and Development, which your country will host in December, also holds out the promise of advancing peace in Mindanao and throughout the world," he added. Benedict XVI also reassured Filipinos of his “affection and continued prayers for them." “I would like to take this opportunity to reassure the Filipino people of my affection and continued prayers for them. I encourage them to allow their deep faith, their cultural heritage and the democratic values that have been a part of their patrimony from the time of their independence to shine as an example to all," he said. - GMANews.TV