18 November 2013 - The official Catholic aid agency for England and Wales, CAFOD, along with the 13 other charities under the UK Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) have raised more than £30 million since the Philippines Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) Appeal was launched.
In his homily during a special mass offered for the Philippines, The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, also said that he has sent a special envoy, Bishop John Arnold, to convey the support and prayers of the community in Britain to the Philippines.
Filipino and British Catholics gathered at the Westminster Cathedral on November 15 for a special mass offered by Archbishop Nichols to the Filipino community and for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). The mass was attended by Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom Enrique Manalo, The Rt. Hon. Justine Greening MP, Secretary of State for International Development, Mr Stephen Lillie, Head of the Asia-Pacific Directorate of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and former Ambassador of the UK to the Philippines, and members of the Philippine Embassy and Filipino organizations in the UK.
In his homily, Archbishop Nichols mentioned “the Filipino community here enrich our country greatly by your faith, your prayers and your work. We salute you and all you do here and we stand by you in this hour of need.” He also mentioned that he has asked Bishop John Arnold to “go to the Philippines to carry our love and our prayers to your country in this time of need.” He also thanked the Catholic aid agency, CAFOD for its impressive response to the Typhoon Haiyan Appeal. CAFOD is part of the DEC’s 14 charities which has raised more than £23 million in the first 48 hours alone of the Philippines Typhoon Haiyan Appeal’s launch.
Archbishop Nichols said: "So many parishes benefit from the lively faith and contribution of the Filipino community and we all benefit from their significant contribution to hospitals and the caring services in this country. Now, in their hour of need, we must support them in prayer and generosity."
In his remarks, Ambassador Manalo also thanked the UK Government and the people of the UK for their generous and unwavering support for the Philippines in its hour of great need. He also expressed appreciation to the Department for International Development (DFID) for coordinating and spearheading the immediate relief efforts to the areas devastated by Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda).
The special mass was attended by thousands of Catholics, Filipinos and Britons alike, at the Westminster Cathedral, which is the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster and the Mother Church for Roman Catholics in England and Wales. END
