Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Santo Domingo (Agenzia Fides) – Agenzia Fides has received a letter from the Cardinal Archbishop of Santo Domingo and President of the Bishops' Conference of the Dominican Republic, Archbishop Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez, in which he recounts the situation of its neighboring country of Haiti after the earthquake that destroyed much of the city of Port-au-Prince and left behind a large number of dead and wounded.
The Cardinal writes: “As for the wounded, although the foreign troops and doctors could attend to many on site, in hospitals, in clinics, and in other institutions in the Dominican Republic, adults, adolescents, and children continue to arrive, in need of surgery, other clinical treatments, medications, and hospitalization.” “The people of the Dominican Republic have carried out an admirable work of solidarity with their brethren of Haiti.”
"As regards the work of the Catholic Church, the two Archdioceses of Santo Domingo and Santiago and the nine other dioceses have all been active. Many church groups have traveled to Haiti, bringing staff to support the homeless and nurses. We have had numerous fundraising collections and have delivered to the Haitian Bishops' Conference a sum of $100,000 USD, as well as several collections for food, medicine, drinking water, clothes, etc., which were sent from various institutions," writes Archbishop Lopez Rodriguez.
Despite the fact that his letter was written before the meeting with the Bishops of Haiti in Port-au-Prince on January 29, His Excellency gives voice to a reality without precedent: the immediate help offered by the neighboring nation of the Dominican Republic. We all know that even now, a large part of aid by land is coming in from the Dominican Republic and also, the people of the country have expressed exemplary solidarity. Here, in the testimony of the Archbishop of Santo Domingo, we hear the voice of the Catholic Church, among the largest groups working in this country that shares the same island hit by the earthquake. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 02/02/2010)
