Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo of Jakarta has called on Catholics to show compassion to victims of deadly flash floods and landslides that hit the country’s predominantly Catholic province of East Nusa Tenggara last weekend.
The disasters, caused by two days of heavy rain due to the Seroja tropical cyclone, hit 12 cities and districts in the province on Easter Sunday, killing at least 128 people, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.
About 72 people are re-portedly missing, while 271 homes and 99 public facilities were damaged. More than 8,000 people were evacuated to shelters including ones belonging to the Catholic Church.
He said such compassion “is a materialization of our faith” and “can be blessings for our brothers and sisters.”