Lahore archbishop appeals for aid for flood-affected people in Pakistan

A Pakistani archbishop has appealed to priests, nuns, brothers, and lay faithful in the Archdiocese of Lahore to mobilize resources to help people affected by recent floods in the country.

In a pastoral letter dated September 3, Archbishop Benny Mario Travas, the Apostolic Administrator of Lahore, made an emergency appeal for assistance to Christian families affected by floods and heavy floods in the Archdiocese of Lahore.

The alarming situation of the floods and heavy rains has caused great devastation in the whole country, but especially in the areas that come under the Archdiocese of Lahore, like Kasu, Narowal, Sialkot, and adjoining areas of Hafizabad and Gujranwala.

“I am therefore asking all parish priests to motivate their parishioners to assist those families who have been affected by the floods and heavy rains,” said the prelate.

Many families have lost everything that has been washed away with the floodwaters and are in dire need of food rations, kitchen utensils, hygiene kits, and medical assistance.

The Archdiocese of Lahore, along with Caritas Pakistan, the social service wing of the Catholic bishops of the country, is addressing the situation. However, the provision of food rations and other emergency supplies is lacking.

“The scale of devastation has been so great that we all need to play our part in helping the vulnerable people who need our urgent assistance,” said Archbishop Travas.

He asked all parish priests, along with their parishioners, heads of schools, and religious communities, to organize the procurement and distribution of food rations to the poor and vulnerable, especially in areas where they know people have been greatly affected.

They are to coordinate with the parish priests of food-affected parishes. According to media reports, more than 300,000 people have been evacuated in Pakistan’s flooded Punjab province. More than 3.3 million people across 33,000 villages in the province have been affected.