Worshipers in Acapulco Mourn Storm Victims

ACAPULCO —  About 1,000 mourners, many wiping away tears, sang hymns Sunday beside a river that had raged over its banks, destroying their church during Hurricane Pauline’s rampage over this coast.

On the far side of what had been a road--but is now a gully 100 feet wide and 20 feet deep--bulldozers pushed aside boulders and scraped away mud, noisily competing with the prayers rising from the outdoor Mass.

Families hugged one another and heard encouragement from the Roman Catholic priest, who stood amid a muddy pile of boulders and bricks. A bright sea of umbrellas shielded the worshipers from the tropical sun.

“We feel the pain of so many brothers, not only those of Acapulco but everyone affected by the passage of Hurricane Pauline,” the Rev. Angel Busto said.

He said the community will rebuild the Sacred Family Church--as well as the rest of the city--as church bells tolled the first Sunday since Pauline ravaged Acapulco and the surrounding coast late last week, killing at least 207 people and leaving thousands homeless.