Worldwide Catholic response to Haiti

Catholic aid agencies have joined the international emergency response to the earthquake that ransacked Port-au-Prince January 12, leaving thousands dead and homeless.

International Catholic agencies such as Caritas and Aid to the Church in Need are providing food, medicine and shelter to the survivors.

Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga of Honduras, president of Caritas Internationalis, underlined the Church’s dedication to assisting the victims of the earthquake and urged the international community to support aid efforts.

"Haiti is a very poor country that needs our assistance. We have long warned that the lack of development in Haiti. Its dire poverty and its decaying infrastructure leave it vulnerable to disasters. We are facing such an emergency now and we must respond quickly to save lives."

The cardinal expressed the hope that this tragedy, which has prompted "media attention and the outpouring of humanitarian assistance," will also bring "lasting solutions and commitment to alleviate the misery of Haitians and the infrastructural poverty of this beleaguered nation."

During his January 13 general audience, Pope Benedict XVI appealed for international aid in the form of prayers and financial support for Haiti.

The Holy Father affirmed that the "Catholic Church will not fail to move immediately, through her charitable institutions, to meet the most immediate needs of the population."

Although the number of casualties from the 7.0-magnitude quake is yet unknown, some have estimated that 100,000 were killed. Among them was Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot of the Port-au-Prince Archdiocese was among those killed by the collapsed buildings.

A priest in Haiti told Aid to the Church in Need on Wednesday that "even the strongest houses in the city are either completely or partially destroyed." Many Church structures, including the seminary, were destroyed.

Some 50 countries have also sent support to the impoverished nation in the form of volunteer aid workers, pledges of money and material resources.