They say, “In the spirit of brotherhood and brotherly love, we first want to express our solidarity with all those brothers and sisters who have been directly or indirectly affected and encourage them to lift their spirits, as we believe that with God, they will overcome this tragedy.”
Cyclone Freddy first hit Mozambique on February 24 killing at least 10 people. The cyclone returned to the nation on March 2, killing 53 people. Zambezia Province, which borders Malawi, was most affected by the cyclone.
In their statement, Catholic Bishops in Mozambique say that before the cyclone, there was intense heat, which was followed by unprecedented rains, which caused “floods in southern Mozambique, leaving many families homeless and without food, as their homes and fields were completely destroyed.”
CEM members explain, “We accompanied the first passage of cyclone Freddy, whose epicenter was the Diocese of Inhambane and, on the 11th of the current month, it came for the second time and affected the Dioceses of Quelimane, Tete, Beira, and Lichinga, having severely hit the city of Quelimane and its surroundings, again leaving many families out in the open and infrastructure destroyed, in addition to causing the loss of dozens of human lives.”
“Expressing our sincere thanks in advance for all that you can do for the victims of cyclone Freddy, we implore God's abundant blessings for all,” Catholic Bishops in Mozambique say in their March 16 statement.
Cyclone Freddy that has been described as the longest-lived cyclone on record, has claimed the lives of at least “400 people in Malawi, Mozambique, and Madagascar since it first made landfall in Africa”, according to Reuters.
During his Wednesday, March 15 general audience, Pope Francis expressed his prayerful solidarity with the people of God in Malawi following the devastating effects of the storm in the country.
“I am close to the people of Malawi who have been hit, in recent days, by a very strong cyclone,” the Holy Father said, adding, “I pray for the deceased, the injured, the displaced, May the Lord support the families and communities most tried by this calamity.”
Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.
