Vatican City, Jan 13, 2010 / 08:57 am
During the general audience on Wednesday, Pope Benedict XVI made an appeal to the world on behalf of Haitians. Referring to the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that had rocked the Caribbean country just hours earlier, the Pontiff called for prayer, solidarity and generosity to aid the victims of the catastrophe.
The Pope invited "everyone" to join with him in prayer for the dead as he also implored that God provide consolation and relief from suffering to the survivors.
He assured Haitians of his “spiritual closeness” and that there would be no delay in the mobilization of aid from the Church's charitable institutions “to fulfill the most immediate needs of the population.”
The Holy Father appealed especially for generosity in giving to "these brothers and sisters who are living a moment of necessity and pain, our concrete solidarity and the proactive support of the international community.”