U.S. bishops raise funds for Haiti after floods

Washington D.C., Jun 9, 2004 / 22:00 pm

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops launched a campaign to assist the Catholic Church in Haiti after floods and landslides devastated the poverty-stricken Caribbean country.

The floods, which hit Haiti and the Dominican Republic two weeks ago, erased entire villages. The situation should be met with an outpouring of solidarity and charity, said Bishop John R. Manz in a press release issued yesterday. The auxiliary bishop of Chicago serves as the chairman of the bishops' Committee on the Church in Latin America.

Daniel Lizárraga, executive director of the USCCB Secretariat for the Church in Latin America, was in Haiti and met with the Catholic bishops' conference there. He said the devastation is terrible and only compounds the existent problems caused by political unrest and poverty.  

Lizárraga assured conference officials that, in addition to humanitarian aid, the USCCB would assist in meeting the pastoral needs of the Church in Haiti at this time.

"In these situations, victims of natural disasters seek spiritual solace from the Church in addition to physical and material aid,” stated Lizárraga. “We hope to support the pastoral efforts that provide a sense of hope at this time of tragedy and suffering."

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