CNS STORY: Rebuilding Haiti church infrastructure to take years, says U.S. bishop

HAITI-GOMEZ Jan-25-2010 (475 words) xxxn

Rebuilding Haiti church infrastructure to take years, says U.S. bishop

By Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Replacing and repairing the infrastructure of the church in Haiti will take years, according to Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of San Antonio, head of the U.S. bishops' Subcommittee for the Church in Latin America.

Citing significant losses in both personnel and buildings, Archbishop Gomez said, "The beleaguered church in Haiti will remain a primary focus of our work in the months and years to come" within the committee.

Special collections for Haitian earthquake relief were taken up in most U.S. dioceses the two weekends after the Jan. 12 quake that claimed an estimated 200,000 lives.

In a Jan. 22 letter to his fellow U.S. bishops, Archbishop Gomez listed some of the damage done to the church in the impoverished Caribbean nation, including total destruction of the cathedrals in Port-au-Prince and Jacmel as well as the destruction of "at least five" other major churches, many smaller church buildings, two major seminaries, many convents and schools, and a Catholic radio station.

Moreover, the archbishop said, "the reported tragic loss of so many priests, sisters, seminarians and laity is irreplaceable."

The bishops' annual Collection for the Church in Latin America was taken up the weekend of Jan. 23-24 in many diocese but other dioceses will hold the collection over the next few weekends in most U.S. dioceses. "It goes without saying that after the immediate humanitarian response begins to take hold, equipping the local church in Haiti will be a significant and long-term project," said Archbishop Gomez.

Getting the radio station back on the air will be a first priority, Archbishop Gomez added.

Members of Christian Churches Together, the U.S. ecumenical initiative which includes the Catholic Church, "grieve the devastation and loss of life caused" by the quake, the organization said in a statement on Haiti issued after its Jan. 12-15 meeting outside Seattle.

"In the face of devastating scenes of the 'living walking among the dead,' we seek to be icons of the living Christ," Christian Churches Together said in it called "a pastoral prayer of comfort and hope."

"We pray that our affected brothers and sisters will be comforted and encouraged by our pastoral presence that includes prayers, visitation and physical aid that our churches have rushed to provide," it added. "Such a presence seeks to give witness to Christ's work of healing and hope."

In a Jan. 21 letter to Archbishop Louis Kebreau of Cap-Haitien, president of the Haitian bishops, his U.S. counterpart, Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago, expressed "profound sorrow and deepest condolences for the terrible tragedy that has struck your beloved country."

"We too are with you as you struggle to recover," Cardinal George added. "We are praying for you and the people of Haiti. Prayers at Mass and throughout the day are being offered in our homes, our parishes and wherever we are to be found."

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