Pope Leo XIV has expressed solidarity and prayers for the people of the Philippines as the country faces the onslaught of Super Typhoon Fung-wong (local name: Uwan).
“I express my closeness to the people of the Philippines who have been hit by a violent typhoon. I pray for the deceased and their families, as well as for the injured and displaced,” the pontiff said.
The pope’s message came as the powerful storm barreled toward the country’s east coast late Sunday, threatening catastrophic winds and rainfall across Luzon.
Fung-wong made landfall in Dinalungan town in Aurora province, east of Manila, at 9:10 p.m. on Sunday.
The super typhoon, spanning nearly the entire Philippine archipelago, comes just days after Typhoon Kalmaegi left more than 220 people dead in the Visayas and Mindanao.
One of the first recorded fatalities from Fung-wong was a 64-year-old woman in Catbalogan City, who was killed while trying to evacuate, according to a report by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“Last night, the wind was so strong and the rain was heavy… According to her family members, she might have forgotten something and went back inside her house,” rescuer Juniel Tagarino told AFP.
A second victim drowned in a flash flood on Catanduanes Island.
Nationwide, nearly 1.2 million people have been evacuated, civil defense deputy administrator Rafaelito Alejandro said. Schools and government offices across Luzon, including Manila, have been ordered closed, while almost 300 flights were canceled.
Caritas Philippines has mobilized dioceses nationwide, while churches in the Bicol region have opened doors to evacuees, turning parishes into sanctuaries ahead of Super Typhoon Fung-wong’s expected landfall.
Scientists have long warned that typhoons in the region are becoming stronger due to human-induced climate change, as warmer oceans fuel faster intensification and heavier rainfall.
Fung-wong is the second major storm to hit the Philippines in less than a week, leaving many communities already reeling from devastation and displacement.
