Joaquim Magalhães de Castro
The worst is over, but the emergency continues. Floods and landslides have swept away entire villages. Many people are homeless. Rescue teams are trying to reach the displaced: for some it is possible, for others not, because the areas remain isolated. This is the scenario still prevailing in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, after the passage of the devastating Cyclone Senyar. In the region, Tropical Cyclone Senyar brought torrential rains, floods and landslides, leaving countless dead and missing, 1.5 million people affected and more than 570,000 displaced.
The Capuchin Friars of Sibolga mobilized from the very first hour, helping in the evacuation of people, providing assistance and accompanying the displaced throughout the territory of the Diocese of Sibolga. The lack of electricity and, above all, the lack of drinking water are just some of the problems. Even the monks, in the monasteries, have to fetch water from various springs in the forest.
“There are thousands of people in the Sibolga territory who have lost everything; they are displaced. Soon, we will have to help them resume a normal life, starting with the reconstruction of their homes,” emphasizes Friar Sinaga, one of the members of this order. The Capuchins have an important presence in the region: the Franciscan fraternity settled there more than 100 years ago. Today, with about 65 professed friars and more than 30 novices, almost a hundred Franciscan friars witness and perpetuate the charism of Saint Francis of Assisi in a territory where, out of 3 million inhabitants, mostly Muslims, there are 200,000 Catholics.
In this spirit, the friars opened the doors of the monastery and are now welcoming more than 200 displaced people to the Novitiate: “They are families, children and the elderly; they live with us, and the friars seek to offer not only food for their bodies, but also moral and spiritual comfort. The younger friars, for example, play with the children, creating an atmosphere of fraternity and joy even in this situation of hardship and suffering. We do not know how long they will stay with us, but we trust in Providence,” explains the religious. “At this moment, our brothers and sisters need immediate help. Later, we will also try to help rebuild their homes,” he concludes. The friars of Sibolga have launched an appeal for solidarity to all Franciscan communities in Indonesia — religious men and women and lay people — who are responding with compassion and promptness. The disaster in Sumatra is part of a broader regional emergency. Authorities in Indonesia and Sri Lanka are still struggling with numerous problems trying to reach survivors in the most remote areas, after floods and landslides in four countries left more than 1,500 dead.
In Indonesia alone, about eight hundred people lost their lives and nearly five hundred remain missing. Large areas remain isolated due to numerous damaged roads, power outages and communication failures, according to a report by Agence France-Presse.
Across the region, the same weather system also brought heavy rains to Thailand and Malaysia, where many additional deaths were reported.
Another cyclone, Ditwah, hit Sri Lanka and at least 474 people are believed to have died, with nearly four hundred remaining missing. Local authorities estimate the total cost of the disaster at US$7 billion.
Scientists say that climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall across the region.
With the start of cleanup in some areas, Church members in Sumatra expect humanitarian needs to increase significantly. The Capuchin monks of Sibolga have assured that they will remain focused on providing “shelter, water and long-term reconstruction of the many destroyed homes” for families who have literally lost everything.
It has been a long time since 1988, when the Capuchin congregation of Indonesia decided to build a Franciscan Center in the northern province of Sumatra intended for conferences, retreats and other religious activities. This center served not only the Franciscans, but all Catholics in the region, especially those of the Archdiocese of Medan and the Diocese of Sibolga, as Father Barnabas Winkler, the new Capuchin provincial, assured at the time. Since then, more than 300 Franciscans have been working in missionary areas not only in the mainland of North Sumatra but also in the famous islands of Nias and Mentawai. These religious people typically use the Catholic Guidance Center in Pematang Siantar for their retreats and conferences. Pematang Siantar is located about 150 kilometers from Medan, the provincial capital.
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