To perform effective gas-liquid contact operation by combining characteristics of a packed tower and a plate tower.

A liquid catching and distributing device 1 has a horizontal fractionating plate 3 by which a packed tower 2 is divided into upper and lower parts and a liquid scattering box 4 which passes through the fractionating plate 3 in the up and down directions. The fractionating plate 3 is provided with through holes 3 for passing rising gas. The liquid scattering box 4 is provided with scattering holes 5 for distributing and scattering falling liquid in the bottom part thereof, and also it is provided in the upper part thereof with inflow weirs 6 for holding the falling liquid in a prescribed depth on the fractionating plate 3 to allow it to flow into the liquid scattering box 4. The rising gas rising from a filler-packed bed below is subjected to gas-liquid contact with the falling liquid on the fractionating plate 3 and then rises to the filler- packed bed above.