God shares our pains, He never abandons us, even in a calamity: Pope

Vatican City – In the wake of the tsunami tragedy that has till date claimed over 200,000 lives, the Pope John Paul II has urged the pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square that in the mystery of Christmas, God “has come to share our existence” and even in “the most difficult and painful trials—as in the recent calamity in south–east Asia—God does not abandon us”.

The undersea earthquake and the resultant tsunami have devastated thousands of lives and even the staunchest of believers have begun asking this big question: Why did this happen? Why does God, whom many believe to be all–powerful and benevolent, allow so much pain and suffering?

The Pope, who recently spoke of a great race of compassion and empathy on behalf of tsunami victims and survivors, said that in “the commandment ‘as he has loved you, so you also should love one another’ . . . He makes his presence felt”.