TELEGRAM FOR DEATHS CAUSED BY LANDSLIDE IN THE PHILIPPINES

VATICAN CITY, JUL 11, 2000 (VIS) - Following is the text of the telegram sent in the Holy Father's name by Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano to Cardinal Jaime Sin, archbishop of Manila, the Philippines, for the deaths caused by a landslide of a garbage fill on a shantytown in Payatas, near Quezon City, a suburb of Manila:

"The Holy Father was deeply saddened to learn of the death and destruction caused by the landslide at Payatas, and in the love of the Lord Jesus he asks you to convey his condolences to all who are suffering because of this tragedy. Conscious that the victims were among the poorest of the poor, His Holiness prays fervently that, like Lazarus who is poor no longer (Lk 16; 20-22), they will find eternal happiness in the embrace of God who 'will wipe every tear from their eyes'(Rev 21; 4), and he expresses the hope that the survivors will receive the prompt assistance and the support which their human dignity demands. Entrusting the people of Payatas to the loving care of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Father imparts his apostolic blessing as a pledge of strength and peace in Jesus Christ, 'the firstborn from the dead'(Col 1; 18)."

TGR;LANDSLIDE;..PHILIPPINES.;
Subject: ; SIN; SODANO;VIS;20000711;Word: 200;