The Pope Calls for Allowing Aid to get to the Needy in Burma

The news that continues to leak out of Myanmar is horrible. Entire villages have been devastated and the villagers are then left to fend for themselves. The government is ineffective in distributing donations. The U.S. naval ships off the coast of Myanmar are loaded with medical supplies and food but the Myanmar government will not allow the U.S. to unload the supplies on Burmese soil. People are dying, the dead or decomposing, jobs, infrastructure and social networks are gone. The foundation for major epidemics is set and yet the government cares more about its own power than its own people.

Friday the Pope called for the leaders of Myanmar to allow all foreign relief workers to provide the materials and skills they have to offer this suffering nation.

At this time the estimates are staggering, 134,000 dead or missing and 2.4 million destitute.

The archbishop of Mandalay said the infrastructure of the Catholic Church in Burma is so devastated that it could take over a decade to rebuild. Still the church is working to distribute food, water, medical care and shelter.

The church is not alone in this enormous task. Buddhist monks have worked at meeting the needs of the neglected villagers. They have defied the government and distrusted supplies they collected.


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