Pope Benedict XVI appealed to the international community to quickly come to the aid of millions of people affected by severe flooding in South Asia.

After praying the Aug. 12 noonday Angelus, the pope expressed his concern for the "numerous victims and millions of homeless" caused by the "serious floods" in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China.

More than 20 million people have been made homeless by the floods and hundreds more have died.

Relief workers said the region's seasonal monsoons and rains this year brought the worst flooding they have seen in nearly a decade. Flooding destroyed housing, cut off roads, food and medical supplies and contaminated potable water sources for millions of people.

The pope urged the world's Catholics "to pray for the victims and to support initiatives of solidarity aimed at alleviating the suffering of so many people so harshly tried."

"May there not lack immediate and generous support from the international community for these brothers and sisters of ours," he said.

The pope's appeal came after he asked the faithful to live prudently and wisely, reminding them that "on this earth, we are only passing through."

Before reciting the Angelus, the pope said Christians should keep their hearts and eyes on heaven in anticipation of the eternal life to come.

He said Abraham lived "in the Promised Land as in a foreign country," living in tents, recognizing he was a stranger on earth "seeking a homeland" in heaven.

The pope reminded people to think of "the life of the world to come" and invited everyone to live "wisely and with foresight, to carefully consider our destiny" and the final realities of "death, the last judgment, eternity, hell and paradise."

Responding to a government appeal, Catholic groups have been distributing food and relief materials to help flooding victims in Bangladesh.

Caritas Bangladesh said Aug. 5 that it had pledged about $876,000 and that the Catholic social service agency had started distributing food items to 7,500 affected families, reported UCA News, an Asian church news agency.

Caritas Bangladesh is the local affiliate of Caritas Internationalis, an umbrella organization of Catholic aid agencies.

Besides helping flood victims, Caritas Bangladesh said it was distributing rice and molasses in the worst-hit district of Sirajganj. It distributed clothing, bedding and other household essentials to landslide victims in several districts.

Catholic Relief Services, the overseas aid agency of U.S. Catholics and a member of Caritas Internationalis, announced Aug. 8 that it has increased its funding to $5 million for South Asia. Working with partner agencies in the region, CRS already has been distributing food and water to heavily affected areas in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Aid distribution began after heavy rains in late July plunged many low-lying parts of the country under water.

The Associated Press reported Aug. 7 that at least 376 people died as a result of recent monsoons and floods in India and Bangladesh. Many other low-lying areas of Asia, including parts of China, Nepal and Pakistan, also have been hit badly.

On Aug. 14, wire services reported that in North Korea, heavy rains and flooding over the past week had resulted in at least 200 people dead or missing, as well as 30,000 destroyed homes affecting more than 63,000 families. Nearly a quarter million acres of farmland had been washed away by the flooding in a nation where feeding its people has been a problem.

---CNS