Pope joins in Haiti's grief and prays for earthquake victimsPope Francis has decided to send to Haiti a first contribution through the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development to help the population that after the earthquake has been affected in an emergency situation. The note from the Sala Stampa of the Holy See expresses it as follows: "Following the earthquake that has struck Haiti with extraordinary vehemence, causing - according to data from the local authorities - at least 2,200 victims and more than 12,000 injured, as well as substantial material damage, Pope Francis, through the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development, has decided to send a first contribution of 200,000 euros to help the population in this emergency phase, which joins the already difficult situation caused by COVID-19."
This sum, which will be distributed, in collaboration with the Apostolic Nunciature, among the dioceses most affected by the catastrophe, will be used in works of assistance to the victims of the earthquake and "wants to be an immediate expression of the feeling of spiritual closeness and paternal encouragement towards the people and the affected territories, manifested by the Holy Father on the sidelines of the Angelus in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, August 15, 2021 with the invocation of the protection of the Blessed Virgin".
"This contribution," the Holy See assures, "which accompanies the prayer in support of the beloved Haitian people, is part of the aid that is being activated throughout the Catholic Church and which involves, in addition to various Episcopal Conferences, numerous charitable organizations."
In addition, the Holy Father "has also decided to send an initial emergency aid of about $69,000 to the people of Bangladesh, recently hit by Cyclone Yaas; and 100,000 euros to the people of Vietnam, who are in a state of serious distress due to the socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic."
