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(CCCB – Ottawa)… Responding to the catastrophic situation in Myanmar (Burma) following Typhoon Nargis, which left more than 100,000 dead and millions of people homeless, Archbishop V. James Weisgerber, President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, has invited the Bishops of Canada to hold emergency fundraising collections in all Canadian Catholic parishes during the weekend of 31 May - 1 June 2008 or the following weekend.

The emergency appeal is being organized together with the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace. The collection will assist the efforts of Caritas Internationalis in the region. An active member of the Caritas Internationalis network, Development and Peace has received assurances that the aid forwarded will be taken in charge directly by Caritas Internationalis, which has opened a special office in Thailand, bordering Myanmar.

The Government of Canada has established a deadline with Development and Peace and other Canadian charitable organizations by which every dollar raised before 13 June 2008 to assist Myanmar will be matched by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). This emergency operation is similar to the one organized in the wake of the 2005 tsunami in Southeast Asia.