IMAGE: CNS photo/Bob Roller
By
WASHINGTON (CNS) — As November
began, the people of Puerto Rico still faced “an unprecedented level of need” because
of hurricanes Irma and Maria, which devastated the island in September, said
the chairmen of two U.S. bishops’ committees.
They called for “meaningful
action” through legislative means and emergency funds to address “both the
immediate and long-term needs of the Puerto Rican population.” They also urged
Catholics and all people of goodwill to show support of “our brothers and sisters
in such dire need.”
Irma hit Puerto Rico Sept. 7 and
Maria hit Sept. 20, creating even more destruction than the first hurricane. To
date, more than 70 percent of Puerto Rico is without electricity and running
water. Other islands, including the U.S. Virgin Islands, are also facing challenges
in their recovery.
In statements issued right after
the storms, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, president of the
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, urged Catholics to respond with prayer and
other help “in this time of great need for our brothers and sisters in
harm’s way — many of whom have been hit repeatedly by the successive
hurricanes.”
He noted the catastrophic
effects of Hurricane Maria were visited on Puerto Rico and elsewhere in the
Caribbean “just as we begin to assess the material and emotional damage of
hurricanes Harvey and Irma.”
Since those statements, little
has improved in Puerto Rico, said Bishop Frank J. Dewane of Venice, Florida,
and Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Anchorage, Alaska. They issued a joint statement
Nov. 2 as the chairmen of, respectively, the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development and the
Subcommittee of the Catholic Home Missions.
“The island is in the midst of a
public health crisis, and food security, health care access, and sustainable
alleviation of the island’s debt are challenges that must be resolved in a
comprehensive way,” Bishop Dewane and Archbishop Etienne said.
“These will require great effort
and significant contributions of financial resources and material assistance,”
they said.
The prelates noted that the
people of the U.S. Virgin Islands and other islands in the region “face
dramatic consequences to their economies, which are predicated on an active
tourist industry. The enormous and adverse impact of the storms for the
livelihood of the Virgin Islands is evident.”
On top of the “human costs,” they
said, the “physical plant” of the Catholic Church in Puerto Rico — including
parish buildings and schools — “has been grievously damaged by the hurricanes.”
Bishop Dewane and Archbishop
Etienne pointed to what Archbishop Roberto Gonzalez Nieves of San Juan, Puerto Rico,
has said, that “virtually every church structure on the island has been
affected by these storms.”
“This need is particularly compelling
considering the central role that parishes perform as natural centers in
providing pastoral outreach to impacted individuals and families in times of
crisis,” the two prelates said. “Aid and financial resources are necessary to
restore the physical settings where the church heals through its ministries
those most desperately in need.”
The people of Puerto Rico have had
to deal with serious problems for many years,” they said, such as “economic
upheaval and scarcity, persistent joblessness, and other social problems
resulting from the financial crisis gripping the commonwealth’s economy.”
“They bear little responsibility
for the island’s financial situation yet have suffered most of the
consequences. Now, the recent devastation has made the circumstances,
especially for those in need, unbearable,” they said.
“As pastors, we share in the
suffering borne by our brother bishops and the people they shepherd in Puerto
Rico,” they continued. “We stand ready, through legislative advocacy as well as
by means of the emergency funds set up in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, to
support with compassion our brothers and sisters in
such dire need.”
“We urgently beseech all Catholics
in the United States to join with all people of goodwill in supporting these crucial
initiatives at this critical point in time for the people of Puerto Rico,” they
said.
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