Asian Cardinal visits the Diocese of Meath
to say thanks for foreign aid

The leader of the Catholic Church in Thailand, Cardinal Michael Kitbunchu, will visit the Diocese of Meath this week (21 – 24 May 2008).  

The purpose of the Cardinal’s visit is to acknowledge the generous response of people in the Diocese of Meath to a number of appeals for assistance in recent years.  These appeals include the following:

Tsunami Appeal in December 2004 which raised over €1.1 million for humanitarian relief in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, India and East Africa

Lenten Appeal in March 2007 – the Parish of Mullingar worked with Trócaire to raise €80,000 to provide a new centre for skills training for disadvantaged women in Thailand

Five schools in the Diocese of Meath – Athboy, Mornington, Mullingar, Navan and Trim – are twinned with ‘migrant schools’ providing education for Burmese migrant children

May 2008 – Appeal for victims of the cyclone which has devastated parts of Myanmar (Burma).

Photos above taken on Friday 23 May in Cathedral of Christ the King

On Thursday 22 May, the Cardinal will meet the priests of the Diocese of Meath.  He will express his thanks for the generosity of their parishioners and inform them on how the aid has been put to good use on the ground.

That afternoon, the Cardinal will have a meeting with representatives of the media so as to give details on the response to these various appeals and how the humanitarian relief projects have progressed. He will also reflect on the life of the Church in Asia, as well as the situation in Thailand and in neighbouring Burma (Myanmar).

On Friday 23 May, the Cardinal will celebrate Mass in Mullingar Cathedral at 10am with pupils and teachers from the five schools in this Diocese that are supporting the schools for Burmese children.

Cardinal Michael Kitbunchu is Archbishop of Bangkok and served as President of the Episcopal Conference of Thailand until 2006. Earlier this year he celebrated the 25th anniversary of his appointment as Cardinal by Pope John Paul II.  Last Thursday, 15 May, the Cardinal had a private audience with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican.

Pupils at a Burmese Migrants' School Project in Ranong, Thailand

further information from

Fr Paul Crosbie
Bishop's House
Dublin Road
Mullingar
Co. Westmeath
Tel:  +353 44 9348841
Fax: +353 44 9343020