Pope Francis, through the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, has established that a first contribution of $100,000 dollars will be donated to the relief effort in Haiti in the wake of Hurricane Matthew.
The Pontifical Council Cor Unum is the panel that oversees the Church’s charitable works.
Hurricane Matthew claimed as many as 1,000 victims in Haiti, one of the world’s poorest countries, which has still not recovered from the earthquake of 2010.
The Vatican’s donation, which will be disbursed in collaboration with the apostolic nunciature through the local Church in those dioceses most affected by the calamity, will be used to support aid works in favour of flood victims, and is intended as a first and immediate concrete expression of the sentiments of spiritual closeness and paternal encouragement of the Supreme Pontiff with regard to the afflicted persons and territories.
The contribution will be inserted within the aid network that was immediately activated throughout the Catholic Church and which has involved various episcopal conferences and a number of charitable organisations.
Caritas Haiti, in connection with Caritas Internationalis, immediately launched an emergency appeal to help 2,700 families (13,500 people) for the purchase and distribution of food kits, hygiene kits and the activation of programmes to advise and raise awareness among the population on the prevention of infectious illnesses.
