Pope's Prayers Comfort Sri Lanka's Tsunami Survivors

Colombo, Sri Lanka – In Sri Lanka, where the tidal–wave death toll has reached 28,000, the Christian population is "very touched" by the prayers offered by Pope John Paul II, according to the report of Archbishop Mario Lenair, the apostolic nuncio in Sri Lanka.

Calling from the capital city, Colombo, the nuncio told Vatican Radio that "as always, the poorest people have accounted for the greatest number of victims."

Officials in Sri Lanka are still searching for thousands of missing persons, the archbishop said, and the death toll is likely to rise. He said that religious institutions of all faiths have organized relief efforts, and "many people found their first shelter in churches or Buddhist temples."

In Indonesia, the apostolic nuncio reported that people remain "fearful of another earthquake, another tidal wave." Archbishop Albert Ranjith Patabendige Don said that many families are "looking for refuge in mountainous areas." But many roads have been destroyed, and travel into the mountains is difficult in the best of circumstances. Once they have fled their homes, it becomes difficult to account for these families, or provide relief, the archbishop noted. He added that the Indonesian government has welcomed the work of Catholic agencies with refugees in the areas most affected by the tidal wave.

The Italian bishops' conference, meanwhile, has announced an emergency appropriation of 3 million euros ($4.1 million) for disaster relief.

The killer tidal waves have claimed over 120,000 lives till date, according to news reports. Countless and still missing in Indonesia, India, Thailand, and other countries in southern Asia. The tsunami also hit the eastern coast of Africa, and at least 100 people have reportedly been killed in Somalia. As recovery efforts begin in Asia, relief workers are struggling to counteract the prospect of an epidemic of disease, since sanitation and access to safe water have been disrupted.