Japan: bishops hold emergency meeting, plan Emergency Centre

Japanese bishops and Caritas staff attended an emergency meeting yesterday (Wednesday) in Sendai, the diocese most affected by the earthquake and the tsunami.

Bishop Martin Tetsuo Hiraga of the Diocese of Sendai said: "There have been deaths among the Christian faithful, but we do not have precise numbers yet. We are shocked, but the support that we are receiving from Japan and the rest of the world gives us hope.

The summit focused on the Church's intervention for the victims: the operations will be run by Caritas, with many volunteers who have offered their services.

They plan to set up an Emergency Centre to arrange and coordinate humanitarian operations. An official statement regarding the meeting is being drafted, in which the key decisions taken by the Bishops will be published.

Fr Daisuke Narui, Director of Caritas Japan, told Fides: "The larger buildings in Sendai have borne a very large earthquake. The greatest damage resulted from the tsunami. The image of the destruction is horrifying. From now, we roll our sleeves up. The people are waiting for our help."

Source: Fides