Pope Francis arrives at the Paul VI Hall for the weekly general audience, keeping a distance from faithful due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at the Vatican, October 21, 2020. Guglielmo Mangiapane, Reuters
MANILA - Pope Francis has sent a donation to the crew of the cargo ship that capsized off Japan last month, among them 39 Filipinos, according to a report by Vatican News.
The Pope’s aid with a small personal gift will be delivered personally to the families of the missing and the two survivors to "show his closeness and solidarity," the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development said in a statement.
“This contribution is accompanied, from the very first days of the disaster, by spiritual, psychological and personalized support, offered to the Philippine families, by a team of professionals, chaplains and nuns of the Stella Maris Centers of the nation,” it said.
The support will continue for "several months" and has so far been implemented through the use of social media and digital platform, according to the report.
"This work is entrusted to Mary, Star of the Sea, the protectress of seafarers, so that she will give courage and strength to all family members to face the future not with uncertainties but with confidence and serenity," the Dicastery said.
The cargo ship Gulf Livestock-1, with 39 Filipinos, 2 Kiwis and 2 Australians onboard, capsized on September 2 after it was caught in Typhoon Maysak in East China Sea.
Pope Francis, Gulf Livestock-1, Japan, Sea of Japan, Typhoon Maysak, Filipino seamen, Filipino crew, missing Filipino seamen