Vietnam evacuates thousands, shuts airports as Typhoon Bualoi nears
Pope prays for
victims of typhoon in Asia
Pope Leo prays for
those affected by a typhoon that has struck the Phiippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong,
Vietnam and parts of China. He also announces that St John Henry Newman will be
declared Doctor of the Church on the 1st November.
By Benedetta
Capelli
Towards the end of
the Mass for the Jubilee of Catechists, and before reciting the noonday Angelus
prayer, Pope Leo addressed the faithful gathered in St Peter's Square.
His thoughts
turned in particular to Asia, where, he said, “a very powerful typhoon” has
struck several regions, “in particular the Philippines, the island of Taiwan,
the city of Hong Kong, the Guangdong region and Vietnam”
“I assure the
affected populations,” the Pope continued, “especially the poorest, of my
closeness and my prayers for the victims, the missing, the many displaced
families, the countless people who have suffered hardship, as well as the
rescue workers and civil authorities.”
“I invite everyone
to put their trust in God and to show solidarity with others. May the Lord give
strength and courage to overcome every adversity.”
Typhoon Ragasa,
which said to be the strongest so far this year, has forced the evacuation of
over two million people in Guangdong alone. In addition to extensive damage,
flooding, power outages and landslides, it has caused at least 25 deaths in the
Philippines and 14 in Taiwan.
John Henry Newman to be Doctor of the
Church
The Pope also
announced the date of the conferral of the title of Doctor of the Church,
already announced on 31 July, on Cardinal John Henry Newman.
The English man of
letters was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on 19 September 2010 and then
canonised by Pope Francis on 13 October 2019.
Pope Leo said that
Newman “made a decisive contribution to the renewal of theology and the
understanding of the development of Christian doctrine”.
Born on 21
February 1801 in London, Newman became an Anglican priest at the age of 24. In
1845, he asked to enter the Catholic Church, and two years later he was
ordained a priest. A renowned theologian and philosopher, he was made a
cardinal by Pope Leo XIII and chose the motto: ‘Cor ad cor loquitur’, ‘Heart
speaks to heart’, a phrase attributed to St Francis de Sales and which Pope
Francis referred to in his encyclical Dilexit nos.
Gratitude to catechists
Pope Leo then
warmly greeted the individuals who had received the ministry of catechist
during the Mass, as well as all those working all throughout the world.
“I extend my good
wishes for a fruitful service to all catechists in the Church throughout the
world! Thank you for your service to the Church. Let us pray for them,
especially for those who work in difficult conditions.”
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