Pope Benedict XVI made two statements about the recent disaster in Japan through Vatican Information Services.

VATICAN CITY, 13 MAR 2011 (VIS) – After praying the Angelus today, the Pope spoke of the “images of the tragic earthquake and the consequent tsunami in Japan” which, he said, “have left a deep impression on us all.

“I wish to renew”, he added, “my spiritual closeness to the dear people of that country who are facing up to the consequences of these calamities with dignity and courage. I pray for the victims and their families, and for everyone suffering as a result of these tremendous events. And I encourage everyone who, with commendable willingness, is bringing aid. Let us remain united in prayer, the Lord is near us!”
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Volunteers carry the body of a victim of the Mount Merapi eruption at Kinarrejo village in Sleman, near the ancient city of Yogyakarta, October 27, 2010. Photo by Reuters/Beawiharta, courtesy www.alertnet.org

One of the world’s most active volcanoes, Indonesia’s Mount Merapi, erupted this week, spewing ash and gas down its slopes and killing 25 people. Thousands of people, many covered in white ash, fled the area before the eruptions and retreated to evacuation centers in Central Java. About 30 people are being treated at local hospitals for burns and respiratory problems resulting from the volcanic ash.
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Two girls walk through the streets of Suak Bidok, a village completely rebuilt by CRS following the 2004 tsunami. At the fourth anniversary of the December 24, 2004 tsunami, CRS continues to help the people of Indonesia recover and regain a sense of community.

CRS has built 3,853 homes for tsunami survivors in Indonesia’s Aceh Province, providing safe, well-built housing for  over 19,000 people. In addition, CRS built nearly 60  kilometers of new roads, like the one pictured here. The outpouring of compassion from donors all over the United States is what made these efforts possible.  Photo by David Snyder for CRS

Life is gradually returning to normal for people living in tsunami affected areas. A woman farmer in the town of Pulo Aceh, Indonesia weeds what would become the first rice harvest since the 2004 tsunami ravaged the northwest coast of Sumatra, particularly the province of Aceh.

To help farmers restore their crops and livelihoods, CRS provided fertilizers and local “hybrid” seeds, which grow faster than traditional varieties. CRS continues to work with communities in Aceh with reconstruction projects:  building new homes, parks and  water systems and replacing washed-out roads.

Photo by Sean Sprague for CRS

Caritas today launched a special feature section on Sri Lanka.

The section includes four stories and seven audio-video galleries containing over 100 photos on the work of Caritas Sri Lanka. Content for the section was provided by photojournalist David Snyder, for many years a Catholic Relief Services staff photographer.

The section explores the lives of survivors nearing the fourth anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami, which took the lives of more than 30,000 people in Sri Lanka. It also highlights Caritas work in the country, from the early emergency response to the ongoing programs that have helped rebuild survivors’ lives.

Meulaboh, Indonesia August 30, 2008

David Snyder for CRS

I am beginning a trip with Catholic Relief Services in what has become familiar ground for me since December 2004 – Indonesia’s Aceh Province, which was devastated by the Asian tsunami. I was here originally in May 2005 to see how people were getting on, nearly six months after the massive wave struck. Tens of thousands of Indonesians were killed, and hundreds of thousands displaced.

Coming up now on four years since that disaster, this is a very different place than it was when I was last here in 2007. Everywhere, homes, roads, mosques and schools have been rebuilt. Villages destroyed by the tsunami have risen again, many of them in new locations, as much of the land in the original village sites was permanently flooded following the tsunami.

Having been in Asia in the days and weeks after that disaster, and having followed the progress of areas like Aceh, I know first hand what role CRS played in that genesis.

Here in Meulaboh alone, one of the largest cities in the hard-hit Aceh Province, CRS built 2,657 permanent homes – sheltering more than 13,000 people. I spent this week with them, and heard firsthand what a difference those homes have made. Perhaps most telling of the time I spent with those beneficiaries was the response I got repeatedly when I asked how they would have rebuilt had they not had help from CRS. Everyone just laughed. “Impossible,” they said simply.

Having worked for years as a staff member with CRS, four of them serving on the agency’s Emergency Response Team, I have seen many disasters around the world.  I wish I could show each person who supported agencies responding to the tsunami just how much of an impact their money has had here in Meulaboh. It has been a fascinating experience to see that change evolve over the last four years.

I am off now to India to photograph CRS efforts there to combat the spread of HIV, which now infects as many as 5.5 million people in India. From there I head to Bangladesh, and then on to Bosnia, visiting CRS projects in each country. I will post more to the blog along the way, so stay tuned.