Help for Haiti's earthquake victims

Aid to the Church in Need has made an initial aid payment of £45,000 to help the victims of the earthquake which struck Haiti on Tuesday, 12^th January. It is likely to be the first of a number of emergency aid payments to be paid out by the charity within the next month.

The earthquake, which measured 7.0 on the Richter scale, struck at around 5pm near Port-au-Prince, the capital of the Caribbean country – which is one of the poorest countries in the world.

The charity’s project staff are endeavouring to reach bishops in Haiti to establish the full extent of the disaster and to offer funds to help provide essential emergency supplies such as drinking water, food, medical supplies and blankets.

Please donate to our appeal for Haiti’s earthquake victims

The president of Haiti, René Garcia Préval, has confirmed that at least 50,000 people lost their lives in the earthquake, though the final figure is likely to be considerably higher. Some reports have speculated that up to half a million people may have perished.

Thousands of Haitians are now sleeping outdoors, either fearing to go inside in case further after-shocks strike, or because their homes have been destroyed.

A message from the nuncio in Haiti

Monsignor Bernardito Auza, the apostolic nuncio to Haiti, sent a message to Aid to the Church in Need describing the dire situation facing the people of Haiti.

He wrote: “We are in big trouble for obvious logistical reasons... Here in Port-au-Prince [the island’s capital] things are difficult. We lack everything.”

Read the nuncio’s message from Haiti in full

Our promise to help the Church’s pastoral work in Haiti

Aid to the Church in Need has also made a long-term commitment to help the Church in Haiti recover and rebuild its pastoral work in the aftermath of the disaster.

Thanks to you, we have helped many of the priests, Sisters and faithful who have suffered in the disaster – including Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot of Port-au-Prince who died when the diocesan offices came down, and seminarians at the Port-au-Prince seminary, which has collapsed trapping a number of the students.

A number of Church buildings, many of which your generosity helped to build, have also been damaged or destroyed, including the cathedral and a pastoral formation centre, where more people were trapped.

Eighty percent of Haitians are Catholic and so – on your behalf – we are renewing our commitment and prayers to rebuild the hope of Christ.

The task of distributing aid, consoling the bereaved and celebrating Christ’s presence – even in the midst of despair and suffering – will be undertaken by the priests and bishops who survived the earthquake. In this, the Year of Priests, we continue to rely on you to support them in their difficult ministry.

Neville Kyrke-Smith, national director of Aid to the Church in Need UK, said: “Aid to the Church in Need is committed to immediate and future support through the Catholic community to all those who are suffering.

“Haiti remains a priority country for the charity in the midst of natural disasters and conflicts. We are bound up in prayer and committed to action for those in need.”

Please pray for the people of Haiti

Aid to the Church in Need is remembering the victims of the earthquake in Haiti in prayers and Masses in our national offices around the world.

Here in the UK, please join us in praying the Angelus at midday each day, or set aside a few minutes to pray the Rosary.

On Friday, 15^th January, Aid to the Church in Need remembered the earthquake victims at Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Sutton, where the charity has its UK office.

Please remember all Haitians in your prayers.