HONG KONG (UCAN) -- Catholic Churches in Hong Kong and Macau have launched appeals for the tens of thousands facing extreme hardship in Myanmar after surviving Cyclone Nargis, which hit their country on May 3.

The respective Caritas organizations in these two Special Administrative Regions of China are taking donations from parishes and individuals, and plan to channel these to affected people through Caritas Internationalis.

On May 7, the Hong Kong diocesan chancery issued a notice to all parish priests, saying Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong "is appealing to the faithful to pray for the victims and to make generous donations for their emergency relief and rehabilitation."

Hong Kong parishes are asked to take up special collections during Mass on May 11, Pentecost Sunday, or on May 18, Trinity Sunday, the chancery notice continued.

Macau diocese has appealed to local Catholics to help through the coordination of Caritas Macau, Vicar General Father Pedro Chung Chi-kin told UCA News.

Caritas Macau made an appeal there on May 6, and Amanda Lei Meng-Ian of its funds section told UCA News on May 8 that the survivors urgently need food and shelter.

Caritas Internationalis had issued a press release on May 5 expressing concern about the grave humanitarian situation in Myanmar. The confederation of charity and relief organizations set up by local Catholic Churches worldwide announced it is working to coordinate Myanmar relief efforts by its 162 members through staff in the region.

Although the Myanmar government has raised the confirmed number of deaths to almost 23,000 and now says more than 42,000 people are missing, international relief organizations believe the final death toll could be much higher, possibly more than 100,000.

More than a million have been left without shelter, food and other necessities, according to media reports that say bodies have been dumped into rivers and whole towns wiped out.

Meanwhile, Lawha, a Myanmar national who is studying in a Protestant seminary in Hong Kong, told UCA News on May 8 that he worries about his family in his homeland.

Since the cyclone struck, he has not been able to call his eldest daughter, who lives in a disaster area in Yangon, the largest city and former capital. "I hope no news is good news," he said with anxiety.

Having watched televised images of the destruction the cyclone wreaked, he expected his daughter's family "is facing the same difficulties." Fortunately, he added, his wife and other children live elsewhere and are safe.

All he can do now, he said, is "pray for the victims" in his country.

Although the Myanmar military junta has called the situation "a calamity" and appealed for international aid, it has allowed in only limited foreign relief aid, because it is suspicious of the international community's political agenda, according to media reports.

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