Mgr Martin Tetsuo Hiraga,
Bishop of Sendai has published a message to all Japanese to comfort the
victims and thank everyone for the help that the diocese is receiving
from abroad.
Sendai is the diocese hardest hit by the earthquake and
tsunami and includes the province of Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi and
Fukushima, the closest to the epicentre.
The message is dated March 17,
the same day a centre for survivors and aid coordination for volunteers
was set up in the cathedral of Sendai.
Two days ago, the Catholic weekly published a special issue
on the disaster. It was only published on line, given the enormous
difficulties in printing and distribution.
On March 24, at the request of the President of the
Episcopal Conference, the Japanese bishops will gather for an
extraordinary emergency meeting to discuss and plan their response to
the disaster.
Meanwhile, the emergency at the nuclear plant in Fukushima
continues. Soldiers and fire-fighters are trying to cool the plants with
tons of water piped from tanker trucks.
At the same time,
engineers working on the electricity grid to restart the reactor
cooling system.
A security officer said that the reconnection of
electricity to the reactors 1 and 2 at the plant is expected later
today.
Below the complete text of Msgr. Hiraga’s message:
My dear fellow Japanese people, I am Bishop Tetsuo Hiraga of Catholic Sendai Diocese. At
this tragic moment of unprecedented catastrophe caused by the great
earthquake and its subsequent tsunami that struck northeast shore areas
of this country, we have received a number of heartfelt messages and
cordial condolences, donations from all over the country and abroad. We
thank you very much for your thoughts and prayers, and for your kind
assistance.
As you know, vast areas on the northeast coast are affected and
our diocesan chancery office is yet to grasp the full details of the
damage. Along with unforeseeable development of the crisis
at the Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant, we will have much more
information to come that may affect our life even more.
To respond to
the current adversities, we held a meeting with Caritas Japan president
Bishop Isao Kikuchi of Niigata, members of Caritas Japan staff and
Bishop Daiji Tani of Saitama, and decided to set up an emergency center
to coordinate humanitarian aid operations in Sendai.
The center is called “Sendai Diocese Support Center” and is to
do its best with the help of your prayers, encouragement and assistance.
The center is also trying to give as much information and updates but,
in its early stage of activities, it may fall short of your
expectations. Please excuse us if this is the case.
Today’s Gospel reading includes a passage “Ask and it will be
given to you; seek and you will find”.
We believe firmly in God who is
love, even we have got stricken hard by this catastrophe. We are
determined to do the best we can hand in hand, so that our relief
activities for the people affected and suffering may witness the love of
God.
Thank you very much.
Sendai, 17 March 2011