Catholic charity: ‘Don’t forget about Marawi’

International Catholic charity, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), is hoping that local and global communities could give more attention to the rebuilding of war-torn Marawi City.

Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of ACN Philippines, noted that the city continues to need a lot of cooperation during the process of reconstruction.

Appealing to the Christian community, he said prayer and charity must go hand in hand.

“Let our prayer bear fruit in charity. Let charity be shown by giving. Let us donate for the reconstruction of Marawi. Every centavo, every peso, every gift will count,” Villegas said.

With concerted effort, the Lingayen-Dagupan archbishop said the country can rebuild the bullet-riddled homes in Marawi “into true homes of peace”.

“We can rebuild the bombed cathedral and mosque of Marawi so we can worship God again in peace and prosperity, Christians and Moslems as brothers and sisters,” he said.

On Friday, March 23, ACN Philippines will officially launch its partnership with Duyog Marawi to provide assistance to the Prelature of Marawi.

An initiative of the prelature and the Redemptorist missionaries in partnership with Caritas Philippines, Duyog Marawi is focused on the area of rehabilitation, trauma healing, psychological intervention, and peace-building.

“Let Duyog Marawi be our common pledge to sow peace and plant seeds of compassion everywhere,” Villegas added.

“Wars are born from hearts that are cold and unforgiving. Conflicts arise when we lose sight of our common destiny which is eternal peace in heaven. War, never again. Let the war in Marawi be the last,” he also said.