Put faith into action, Catholics told

MANILA, Philippines - A Church official on Tuesday called on the faithful to put their faith into action in connection with the message of Pope Francis during his five-day visit to the country.

 

Archbishop Rolando Tria Tirona, national director of NASSA-Caritas Philippines, said the Pope's call to listen to the cries of the poor and those belonging to the vulnerable sector should serve as a constant reminder for everyone to put faith into action.

 

"We are one with the Pope in helping our less fortunate brothers and sisters, especially those who were affected by recent calamities. May the Holy Father's message of mercy and compassion rooted in God's love be an inspiration for all of us. Now, indeed, is the right time to put Christian words in action," Archbishop Tirona said.  

 

NASSA-Caritas Philippines is the social action arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines representing the country to Caritas Internationalis—the umbrella organization for Catholic charities around the world that works hand-in-hand with the Pope.

 

He added that the Pope's message is a challenge for everyone, especially as it coincides with this year’s celebration of the "Year of the Poor."

 

Pope Francis earlier denounced all forms of corruption which he said "diverts resources from the poor."  

 

He also underscored the importance of protecting one's family from "ideological colonization" that tries to destroy it.

 

During his visit to Leyte, the pontiff comforted survivors of supertyphoon Yolanda and the Bohol earthquake despite the bad weather. 

 

NASSA-Caritas Philippines has committed on a three-year program to help Yolanda survivors across nine provinces and dioceses through the provision of disaster resilient shelters, food security and livelihood assistance, WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) facilities, ecosystems recovery, disaster risk reduction trainings, and community organizing.  

 

The beneficiaries are selected from typhoon-battered areas that were least served by the government and other non-government organizations, and belong to the poorest of the poor.

 

As of last month, it has already built 2,534 disaster-resilient shelters, installed 3,529 water systems and provided various livelihood programs to 9,834 families.

 

The budget on the Yolanda rehabilitation program for the first year alone stands at 9.7 million euro or P563 million.

 

"The budget for the ‘Yolanda’ reconstruction efforts came from all the Catholics around the world who are from the 43 Caritas Internationalis member countries. This is the reason why we put emphasis on transparent spending, which is implemented at all levels through regular financial monitoring and auditing by international companies," the prelate said.