Honiara, Solomon Islands, Apr 29, 2009 / 00:51 am
Aid to the Church in Need has announced that it will help the Catholics of the island of Gaomai in the Solomon Islands rebuild a seaside church damaged in a July 2007 tsunami.
The tsunami and two earthquakes left more than 50 dead and around 9,000 homeless in the Solomons, a chain of islands near Papua New Guinea. The church building, just 16 feet from the shore, partially collapsed and now floods at high tide, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) says.
Despite the damage, people are still gathering at the church for prayer.
Bishop of Gizo Luciano Capelli expressed gratitude to ACN and its supporters for their assistance. He reported that the church easily floods because the seas are rising and because the island slightly sank during the earthquakes.
“The people of the Gizo diocese are slowly recovering from the trauma that shook and changed their lives radically,” Bishop Capelli said.