Pope Benedict XVI Appeals for Haiti

(07 Sept. 08 - RV) Pope Benedict XVI launched an appeal on behalf of the victims of the series of storms that have battered and continue to batter the impoverished island of Haiti.

Speaking before the Angelus prayer, the Holy Father said he is praying for the "unfortunately numerous" victims and for the homeless.

The Pope said he is near in spirit to the entire Caribbean nation and expressed hope that all necessary aid reach the country as soon as possible.

Dozens of people have already been killed by flooding this week in Haiti, and the approach of hurricane Ike is raising fears of further devastation.

Pope Benedict made his appeal from the port city of Cagliari on the Italian island of Sardinia, where he had just finished celebrating Mass for well over 100 thousand Sardinian faithful.

The Holy Father had come to Sardinia and Cagliari in order to rededicate the faithful of the island to Our Lady of Bonaria, who, 100 years ago, was proclaimed chief patroness of the island.

In his homily, the Pope prayed that, under the patronage and through the intercession of Our Lady of Bonaria, the faithful be made capable of evangelizing the world of work, the economy, and politics, saying the task requires a new generation of committed Christian laypeople capable of meeting the challenge of sustainable development competently and with moral rigor."

The Pope particularly recalled the unswerving dedication to the true faith and the steadfast faithfulness to Peter’s successor that have always characterized the Church on the island of Sardinia.

As a sign of appreciation and gratitude, the Holy Father gave the Basilica the gift of the Golden Rose, a rare and venerable sign of Papal favour, given in recognition for signal service to and great faithfulness to the Apostolic See.

Sardinia has never been a land of heresies, said Pope Benedict, recalling also how Sardinian faith did not come at the tip of the conqueror’s sword, nor was it installed by foreign oppression: instead, it grew from the ground, rising up from the blood of Sardinia’s many martyrs, who converted the proud Sardinian spirit to Christ, through their acts of love toward God and their fellows.