HAITI: Please pray for earthquake victims
By John Pontifex
A building which was destroyed when a massive earthquake hit Port-au-Prince in Haiti
Aid to the Church in Need is appealing for prayer in the wake of the earthquake that has devastated Haiti.
Thousands are feared dead following the 7.0-magnitude quake, which struck the Caribbean country on Tuesday, 12th January, causing massive disruption.
It sparked a desperate search for loved ones trapped or killed because of falling buildings.
Amid reports that millions have been affected by the disaster, Aid to the Church in Need project coordinators spent Wednesday (13th January), desperately trying to make contact with bishops and other project partners on the island.
It comes amid news, now just confirmed, that Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot (pictured) of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, was killed when buildings, including the cathedral, collapsed.
The diocese’s vicar general, Monsignor Benoit, is also reported missing.
Amid news flashes describing widespread damage to buildings, there are reports, still unconfirmed, that the seminary, in Port-au-Prince, is very badly damaged. The fate of the seminarians is unknown.
Regina Lynch, director of projects for Aid to the Church in Need, said: “Our heart really goes out to the people of Haiti at this time.
“We are doing our very best to reach some of our project partners but the breakdown in communications means that it has so far proved impossible to do this.”
Ms Lynch added: “At this painful time, it is so important that all of us keep Haiti in our prayers. We pray that God may console the people in this very, very difficult situation.”
Underlining that Aid to the Church in Need has provided relief aid following Haiti’s many previous natural disasters, Regina Lynch added: “As soon as we get up-to-date information, we will send emergency help.”
Noting that Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, she added: “Of course, thanks to the generosity of our benefactors, we stand ready to provide longer-term help to enable the Church and its structures to embark on the long road to recovery.”
Neville Kyrke-Smith, Aid to the Church in Need UK director, said: “In the past 50 years and more, the Haitians have experienced the depths of political turmoil, violence, and natural catastrophes.
“This latest earthquake seems like the final terrible hammer-blow on this, one of the poorest countries in the world.
“Haiti remains a priority country for Aid to the Church in Need in the midst of natural disasters and conflicts. We are bound up in prayer and committed to action for those in need.”
Speaking today (Wednesday, 13th January) at his weekly general audience in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI appealed for prayers and emergency support for Haiti.
The Pontiff described how his thoughts are with “the people hit by the earthquake, which has caused a heavy loss of human life and a great number of homeless and missing and enormous damage”.
Aid to the Church in Need has received a report from a priest who escaped unharmed when the quake struck Port-au-Prince.
The priest, Father Maurice, stated: “Even the strongest houses in the city are either completely or partially destroyed. “A cloud of dust arose around the city as a result of the collapse of houses.”
Describing how the nearby Catholic nursery and a chapel were destroyed, he added: “All the houses up on the hill have collapsed. A crowd of people have been screaming and crying.
“One can only cry in front of such a disaster; tomorrow we will start counting the dead and wounded. In the slums that surround the city on the mountains surrounding it must be even worse.”
Please join us in prayer for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti – we pray the Angelus and the Rosary regularly.
Find out more about Aid to the Church in Need’s Haiti Appeal