Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Sendai (Agenzia Fides) – Fr David Uribe, MG, Superior of the Missionaries of Guadalupe operating in Japan, spoke to Fides about the Country's situation after the earthquake which has annihilated the area of Sendai. On 19 March throughout the Country there was a minute of silence to remember the first week after the earthquake, says Fr Uribe. On that day, the Archbishop of Osaka, Archbishop Leo Ikenaga, President of the Episcopal Conference of Japan, via a message sent to all dioceses in Japan, invited the Country's Catholics to demonstrate their solidarity for the pain experienced by those who have lost people close to them, their houses and their belongings. He also asked them to pray for those who are now going without food and medical aid.
“That day,” continued the missionary, “I received a call from a catechist in Sendai, who asked me to pray for some girls from Shirayuri Catholic Girls School in Sendai, that they would receive news of their parents. After one week, it seems, they are still living in the school, but the catechist told me that is a very painful situation.”
The Chancellor of the Diocese of Sendai, Fr Pedro Komastu, said in a statement, that most of the buildings owned by the diocese have not been seriously damaged. However, they have not yet been able to establish communication with three parishes: Iwaki, Yumoto and Haranomachi in the state of Fukushima. He also reported that the Diocese of Sendai will begin collections to help those most affected.
Fr Miguel Angel Varela, Missionary of Guadalupe, who is now working in the parish of Yostuya in the city of Morioka in Iwate, confirmed the difficulty to access the areas most affected by the earthquake and the tsunami. Father Uribe recalled, finally, that the Diocese of Sendai invites everyone to participate and unite in prayer and give financial support to the Help Center (Sendai Diocese Support Center) located in the Cathedral of Sendai. (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 23/03/2011)
