June 16, 2010

The holy places of Haiti were not spared by the devastating January 12th earthquake. Throughout the capital city, Port-au-Prince, many churches are rebuilding out of the rumble.

The Holy Trinity Cathedral, one of the landmarks of the city known for its beautiful murals painted by famous Haitian artists, was among those churches that collapsed during the earthquake.

Only the ruins of the church are left, but the plan is to rebuild the church again.

"Haiti will come back," Father Ogé Beauvoir from the Holy Trinity Church said while speaking with the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), who visited the ruins of the church together with an ecumenical delegation of six church leaders from different parts of the world.

"Fellowship is the answer to the challenges we are facing today," Tveit told Father Beauvoir, assuring him of the ecumenical movement's support in building a new post-earthquake Haiti.

The purpose of the ecumenical visit was to express solidarity and offer pastoral support to the churches as they participate in the rebuilding of Haiti and in offering their service to the Haitian people.

Churches play an important role

Since the earthquake, Haiti has received support and accompaniment from churches all around the world. The Haitian churches have encouraged the WCC to continue its support on a long-term basis.

One of the concerns of the general secretary of the Caribbean Conference of Churches, Mr Gerard Granado, has been the lack of co-operation between the different agencies responding to the earthquake.

"There are lots of actors doing lots of things, but they have never come together to share resources for the benefit of the Haitian people. The earthquake has been an eye-opener in that sense," he asserted.

In his prayer in the collapsed Russian Orthodox School, Granado assured Father Jean-Chénier Dumais of the Haitian Orthodox Mission that the work doesn't end now. Instead, he said, we will share these experiences together and we will together ask for strength to rebuild Haiti after the tragedy.

"Churches play an important role and they have enormous influence," said the Rev. Carlos Ham, WCC programme executive for the Latin America and Carribean region. The role of the churches is to raise awareness of the situation and to pray for the Haitians, he said.

The visit to church buildings of different denominations that were destroyed in the quake was one concrete way the ecumenical team expressed solidarity towards the Haitians, he continued.

Long-term commitment is needed

In a panel discussion on Tuesday involving representatives from several Haitian denominations, the ecumenical delegation shared their thoughts about the role of churches, emphasizing that the church must respond on all levels of reconstruction and remain in the community long-term.

"Without churches the progress is not long-term," observed the Rev. Nilton Giese, general secretary of the Latin American Council of Churches.

When it comes to concrete aid work, the task has been given to the ACT Alliance, which is an alliance of churches and church-related organizations working together in humanitarian assistance, development and advocacy.

"ACT has been strong in Haiti since the beginning of 2000," said Prospery Raymond, the country representative of Christian Aid, a member of the ACT Alliance. "After the earthquake, we were able to start working together and supporting each other due to good co-operation and collaboration in the past."

The panelists agreed that the role of the churches is to speak on behalf of those who need assistance and support and to work together to benefit the people, particularly those in need.

"There are two tasks for the churches," Tveit said. "One is to be able to say what needs to be changed and the other is to interpret the vision revealing how to make that change. What churches and the ACT Alliance can do together is to help make the voices of the people heard on different levels."

Common hope for the future

In the courtyard of the collapsed Church of God the reconstruction work is under way. The four-floor building collapsed just before a service was about to take place. The choir members were able to run out through a hole in the wall, but the church lost two of its members.

Members of the Church of God are clearing rubble in the blazing sunshine during the hottest time of the day. For delegation members, this is a sign of real commitment to God and neighbour.

"The demolishing was started right after the earthquake, because we want to get people back here," Brother Saül Raphaël from the Church of God told the ecumenical delegation.

In two days the congregation will have its first service in the roofless space. Hearing this impresses the delegation.

"I want to thank you sisters and brothers from different parts of the world for sharing with us this very special situation. I can assure you that you are in our prayers," Tveit said to the members of the church while in their sanctuary. "It is encouraging to see the hope for the future. That is hope that we can share together."

WCC member churches in Haiti: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?id=2267&rid=f_13684&mid=2330&aC=63bab3c8&jumpurl=1.

Relief and development work by churches in Haiti: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?id=2267&rid=f_13684&mid=2330&aC=63bab3c8&jumpurl=2.

World Council of Churches
Maria Halava, from ACT Alliance, reported from Haiti