(24 Feb 10 - RV) The President of the Churches largest global charity, Caritas Internationalis,
visited Haiti on Monday 22 February to deliver a consignment of aid from Honduras
and express the Churches solidarity to the people of Haiti.
During his
visit to Port-au-Prince, Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga went to the destroyed
cathedral and the rubble of the archdiocese where the Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot
of Port-au-Prince Msgr and a number of his colleagues were killed.
The Cardinal
then went to the Renaissance Hospital and the Champ de Mars makeshift camp, where
tens of thousands of people have taken refuge.
During his stay, the Caritas
Internationalis President met representatives of the Haitian Bishop Conference to
discuss relief and reconstruction efforts.
Speaking to international and national
staff at the Caritas Haiti headquarters at the end of his trip, Cardinal Rodriguez
said, “I want to thank all the Caritas of the world for their support. It is essential
we go on, in order to rebuild Haiti culturally and spiritually as well as materially.”
The Cardinal also thanked the Apostolic Nuncio to Haiti, Archbishop Bernardito
Auza, Bishop Pierre Dumas, President of Caritas Haiti and Fr Serge Chadic, Director
General of Caritas Haiti for hosting his visit.
The Cardinal was also accompanied
by President of Caritas Quintana Roo Bishop Pedro Pablo Elizondo Cardenas of Cancun
Chetumal and Archbishop Emilio Carlos Berlie Belaunzaran of Yucatán among others.
Caritas members from 40 countries have collected $198 million (Euro 147 million)
from private donations for Haiti’s quake survivors. In addition, governments and institutions
have pledged $36 million (Euro 27 million) to Caritas for Haiti.
Already Caritas
has fed over 500,000 people. The aid network has provided shelter kits to 43,000 people,
and given medical treatment to 12,000 people. The two month relief effort will be
followed by a 3-5 year reconstruction programme focusing on housing, education, and
livelihoods.