Cardinal Robert Sarah, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, assured Haitians on the one-year anniversary of the Port-au-Prince earthquake that they are not alone in their sufferings. Photo by Alsy Acevedo/CRS
Homily of Cardinal Robert Sarah, President of Pontifical Council Cor Unum
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
(Hebrews 2:14-18; Psalms 105:1-2, 3-4, 8-9; Mark 1:29-39)
Cher tout people Haïtien:
Moin poté la pé ak Ké Kontan Gran Mèt la pou nou.
Dear Haitian people,
I bring you the peace and joy of the Lord.
Exactly one year after the devastating earthquake that struck this dear country of Haiti, I come to you on behalf of the Holy Father. Through my presence, Pope Benedict XVI wishes to demonstrate his nearness to you. We are still in mourning for thousands of people who were dear to us: children, parents, brothers and sisters, as well as priests, religious and seminarians, including our Father and Brother, Monsignor Joseph Serge Miot, Archbishop of Port-au-Prince. All of these victims loved life just as much as we do. They lost it full of fear and in great pain. Some of them had family ties with you, and you are still mourning them. In an instant, many thousands of you lost all your possessions and today still don’t know how to plan a future life. Many remarkable buildings and monuments, some of them religious, lie in ruins. I’m thinking in particular of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, which once stood in the very place we are gathered today. Sickness and death continue to strike you. The joy of living seems to have been shattered by this tragedy caused by a natural disaster, and not by a divine curse. Continue reading
