‘We are on Yolanda ground zero’

TACLOBAN, Philippines – The local church here thanked Pope Francis for braving the storm to be with them, noting that the weather made him experience “our reality.” 

In a response after the Pope’s homily,  Most Rev John Du, archbishop of Palo, Leyte, recalled the devastation caused by Super Typhoon Yolanda on November 8, 2013. “We are on Yolanda ground zero,” he said, recalling the storm surge, the powerful winds, and the dead bodies that littered the streets after the typhoon.

“The suffering of our people defied imagination,” Du said. “ Yet in the midst of pain and suffering it was our Christian faith that helped us through.”

The Pope’s presence on Saturday, January 17, “Inspires us to come as one with you in joyful thanksgiving,” Du said.

Du thanked the Pope for pushing through with his trip despite Tropical Storm Amang, which put the area under signal no. 2. “God has gifted us with this once- in-a -lifetime opportunity to come as one with you in joyful thanksgiving.”

He added: “We could hardly express in words our thanksgiving today.” – Rappler.com