.- Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, President of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum and special envoy of Pope John Paul II to Haiti and the Dominican Republic, toured areas in those countries this weekend affected by recent flooding. “The Pope has asked me to bring you his blessing and the assurance that you are in his prayers,” said the Archbishop during Sunday Mass.
Archbishop Cordes, who will bring a report to the Pope on the damage caused by the flooding, read a “message of spiritual support” sent by the Pontiff to the more than 1,300 people affected, saying the “Holy Father has always had a special concern for those who are suffering.”
Official reports indicate that 392 people were killed in the Dominican Republic with more than 275 still listed as missing.
Archbishop Cordes is expected to meet with Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez of Santo Domingo, the Apostolic Nuncio of the Dominican Republic, Archbishop Timothy Broglio, as well as with Haitian bishops.
