Pope Leo XIV sends emergency aid via Papal Charities to Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Vietnam & Thailand after cyclones kill 1,800 and isolate villages.
Newsroom (09/12/2025 Gaudium Press ) Through the Office of Papal Charities, Pope Leo XIV has dispatched immediate humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand in the wake of a series of devastating tropical cyclones that struck the region in late November.
The disasters, fueled by intensified monsoon rains, have claimed nearly 1,800 lives and left more than a thousand people missing. Torrential flooding, landslides, and mudslides have destroyed entire villages, swept away bridges and roads, and left countless communities completely cut off, severely complicating rescue and relief operations.
Speaking at the Angelus on Sunday, December 7, the Holy Father publicly expressed his spiritual closeness to the stricken populations, assured them of his prayers, and issued an urgent appeal for international solidarity with those enduring “grave hardship.”
The aid is being channeled through the Office of Papal Charities, the dicastery of the Holy See specifically entrusted with exercising the Pope’s personal charity toward the poor and suffering. Directed by the Papal Almoner – currently Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, a Polish cardinal appointed by Pope Francis in 2013 and member of the papal household – the office traces its origins to the earliest centuries of the Church, when deacons directly administered the Bishop of Rome’s works of mercy. Formalized under Blessed Gregory X (1271-1276) and further regulated by Pope Alexander V in 1409, the office has remained a living expression of the Roman Pontiffs’ constant concern for those in need.
One traditional source of funding for these charitable works is the issuance of parchment certificates bearing the Apostolic Blessing. Authenticated by the Almoner’s signature and official seal, the modest fees collected for the parchment, preparation, and postage are applied entirely to the Pope’s worldwide relief efforts, including the emergency response now underway in Asia.
The Vatican has not disclosed the exact amount of aid dispatched, but the intervention underscores Pope Leo XIV’s commitment to concrete acts of mercy in moments of acute global crisis.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
Related Images:
