President of U.S. Bishops Conference Statement on Hurricane Maria

WASHINGTON—CardinalDaniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, President of the United StatesConference of Catholic Bishops, has issued the following statement on theimpact of Hurricane Maria. Thestorm has devastated Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Dominica. Now downgraded to Category-3 winds, the stormis expected to bring more heavy rain and flash floods as it makes landfalllater today in the Turks and Caicos.

Fullstatement follows:

"Justas we begin to assess the material and emotional damage of hurricanes Harveyand Irma, the devastation of yet another storm, Hurricane Maria, has struck theU.S. Virgin Islands and Dominica, and has battered Puerto Rico withcatastrophic effects unprecedented in the island's modern history. I exhort thefaithful to solidarity in this time of great need for our brothers and sistersin harm's way—many of whom have been hit repeatedly by the successivehurricanes.

"Castingaside any temptation to despair, and full of hope in the loving Providence ofGod, we pray that our Father may receive unto his loving presence those whohave lost their lives, may he comfort the grieving, and may he fortify thecourage and resilience of those whose lives have been uprooted by thesedisasters. May he extend the might of his right hand and bid the sea be 'quiet'and 'still' (Mark 4:39)."

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Keywords:U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo,Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Dominica, Turks and CaicosIslands, solidarity.

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