As death toll soars, pope urges generous giving toward relief efforts

Published: 2004-12-29

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As the death toll from the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunamis soared past 77,000, Pope John Paul II invited international agencies and individuals to give generously toward relief efforts. Speaking at his weekly general audience at the Vatican Dec. 29, the pope said he was especially concerned at the risk of epidemics in the wake of the catastrophic flooding, which left beaches from India to Thailand littered with corpses. He noted that Catholic agencies were mobilizing to respond to the humanitarian crisis, and he said he would continue to pray for the victims, the injured and the homeless in the region. "The reports coming from Asia reveal more and more the enormity of this immense catastrophe, which struck especially hard in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand," the pope told a packed audience hall.

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