Pope expresses hope victims of Myanmar's cyclone will receive aid

Published: 2008-05-30

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI said he hoped all victims of the deadly cyclone in Myanmar will receive the aid and relief they need. He also urged Myanmar's military government to let humanitarian workers have access to the hardest hit areas. "May God open the hearts of all so that a concerted effort may be made to facilitate and coordinate the ongoing endeavor to bring relief to the suffering and rebuild the country's infrastructure," the pope said in a May 30 audience with Catholic bishops from Myanmar. The bishops were on their "ad limina" visits to the Vatican, a series of consultative meetings made approximately every five years. Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar May 3 and devastated the Irrawaddy River delta and the capital Yangon. According to the United Nations, as many as 134,000 people have died or are missing and at least 2.4 million people are in need of food, clean water, shelter and clothing.

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