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Pope Francis pledges 100,000 euros for Odette relief —Vatican


Pope Francis pledges 100,000 euros for Odette relief —Vatican

VATICAN CITY, Holy See - The Vatican on Tuesday said Pope Francis had pledged 100,000 ($114,000) euros for relief efforts in the Philippines, following the devastation caused by Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) in December.

The death toll due to Odette reached 406, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said in its situation report on Tuesday. Sixty-five individuals remain missing, while 1,265 were injured.

Odette caused widespread devastation in the provinces along its path, such as Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands, Cebu, and Palawan. 

The NDRRMC said 2,335,757 families were affected in 11 regions and 38 provinces.

In December, Pope Francis expressed his concern for Filipinos after the onslaught of Odette.

He tweeted a message for those affected by the typhoon, adding the hashtag #PrayTogether.

"I express my closeness to the population of the Philippines, struck by a strong typhoon that has caused many deaths and destroyed so many homes," he wrote.

"May the 'Santo Niño' bring consolation and hope to the families of those most affected," he continued.

Pope Francis also pledged 100,000 euros to help migrants blocked on the border between Poland and Belarus, the Vatican announced.

The money includes support for the Catholic charity Caritas Poland "to deal with the migration emergency on the border between the two countries", it said.

Since last summer, thousands of migrants — most of them from the Middle East, including war-torn Syria — have crossed or attempted to cross the Polish frontier from Belarus and enter the European Union.

The pope has made defending migrants a priority of his papacy, and has repeatedly called on EU leaders to be more welcoming to those arriving at its borders. —Agence France-Presse/KG, GMA News

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