Diocesan News22 Jan 10

Haiti Appeal - Joint Statement by the Bishops of Clogher

'Everyone to whom we have spoken has been disturbed by the appalling scenes of suffering and death in Haiti since the earthquake which devastated the island on Tuesday 12th January. The death-toll is beyond calculation and the depth of human suffering beyond imagining. As time goes on, the needs of the people multiply as does their distress. The International Aid effort has got under way, with the clear understanding that reconstruction and relief must go together. On television we have seen heroic acts of rescue and compassion. Hundreds of thousands of people are dead and can neither be found nor identified. Many more people – children, women and men – have no idea of how they will rebuild shattered lives. 
 
'The response of the international community is essential to such relief and reconstruction. The needs of the people of Haiti will be with us for years to come. It is never too late to give. There are many ways in which individuals and communities can respond. The call for financial assistance is immediate and urgent. 
 
'Our joint appeal to you is that you continue to contribute as generously as you feel you are able to do so, through any of the recognised Agencies which have taken up the cause of the people of Haiti. Everything you give will make a positive difference in the current situation. Please remember also in prayer those whose lives have been torn apart in this natural disaster and those who are responding on the ground in practical and spiritual ways.'
 
 +Joseph Duffy and +Michael Jackson
Bishops of Clogher

ENDS