Letter
Letter from Cardinal Dolan Regarding Typhoon Haiyan (2013)
Letter from Cardinal Timothy Dolan, USCCB President, Regarding Typhoon Haiyan, November 11, 2013
My brother bishops:
Over the past few days, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded destroyed entire villages and devastated cities across Philippines and Vietnam. More than as 10,000 people are feared dead in Super Typhoon Haiyan and more than 9 million people have been affected. The full extent of structural damage is still unknown.
Our Church mourns the terrible suffering of our brothers and sisters affected by this powerful storm. To complicate this situation, Typhoon Haiyan follows on the heels of a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in the same region just a month ago. Citizens in this Pacific Island country are already displaced and have been hurt even more. The local government and church institutions cannot manage the magnitude of this disaster on their own. Those affected need our help.
To this end, I request that you encourage your pastors to take up a second collection for our affected brethren and the Church of the region affected as soon as possible. These funds will then be used to support the efforts of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Relief Services (our official international humanitarian agency representing the U.S. Catholic Church) as we respond to immediate emergency needs for such necessities as water, food, shelter and medical care and assist in the long-term recovery from the disaster. Collection funds will also be used to support the long-term need to rebuild the Church after widespread destruction.