Washington, D.C. – – In the wake of an earthquake of historic proportions which leveled numerous areas of the capital of Haiti, Port-au Prince, and took the lives of the archbishop there and many clergy, seminarians, and religious, members of FADICA are joining in solidarity, prayers, and grant support for rescue and recovery efforts orchestrated through church related agencies.
“We echo the words of Pope Benedict today calling for the generosity of everyone, and the effective support of the international community”, said Francis J. Butler, FADICA’s president.
According to initial reports pieced together by various charitable and church related news agencies in Haiti, Port au Prince is completely devastated. Seminaries and churches have been reduced to rubble with widespread loss of life.
Catholic Relief Services of Baltimore, the main vehicle for the U.S. church’s emergency aid globally, reported that the dead and injured in the wake of the earthquake is “incredible all around”.
The Holy Father affirmed through his public statement that the “Catholic Church will not fail to move immediately, through her charitable institutions, to meet the most immediate needs of the population.” This quake, which was followed by 12 aftershocks ranging between a magnitude of 5.0 and 5.9, was the strongest in that region since 1770. It is estimated that some 3 million people were affected by the disaster.
Click here for an interview with Archbishop Dolan, chairman of Catholic Relief Services, on relief effort.
