Pope assures prayers, sends donations on Haiti’s earthquake anniversary

(January 11,2011) Pope Benedict XVI assured his prayers and nearness to the people of the Caribbean nation of Haiti on Wednesday, on the first anniversary of the devastating earthquake that befell the country last January 12. The Pope assured his prayers especially for those who died and all those suffering today. The Pope’s message was read by papal envoy Cardinal Robert Sarah, at a mass on Wednesday, the anniversary of the tragedy. The earthquake in Haiti left 250,000 people dead and more than a million homeless. The country still faces the threat of epidemic diseases in the aftermath of the disaster.
Cardinal Sarah, who is the president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, also gave financial contributions from Pope Benedict XVI. The sum of $800,000 was given for the reconstruction of schools, and another $400,000 to rebuild churches in Haiti, where thousands of buildings were demolished by the earthquake.
Cardinal Sarah who arrived in Haiti on Monday, visited a number of religious communities, among them the Sisters of Christ the King , whose hospital was destroyed, the Little Sisters of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, who run a clinic for people suffering from AIDS and tuberculosis, and the Society of Jesus, whose old people’s home and a school were destroyed in the earthquake. On Tuesday, the Cardinal met Rene Preval, the President of Haiti and then visited the displaced persons camp where he celebrated Mass. The Cardinal’s visit concludes on Thursday with the celebration of Mass in the convent of the “ Daughters of Mary” Congregation, who lost 15 religious sisters in the disaster.