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Searching among a Haitian cathedral's ruins (100 priests still missing)
LA Times ^ | Januay 16, 2010 | Tracy Wilkinson

Posted on 01/16/2010 11:15:49 AM PST by NYer

The woman wailed outside the ruins of the Notre Dame Cathedral of Port-au-Prince, the iconic Roman Catholic church that symbolized Haiti's religious fervor.

"This is what God did!" she cried Friday morning. "See what God can do!"

Tuesday's earthquake brought down the roof of the enormous pink-and-cream church, filling the apse and nave with tons of rubble. The quake punched out its vivid stained glass windows, twisted its wrought-iron fencing and sliced brick walls like cake. The western steeple, which had soared more than 100 feet, toppled onto parishioners praying at an outdoor shrine to St. Emmanuel. Flies buzzed around the pile of copper, plaster and felled columns.

The senior Catholic figure in the country, Msgr. Joseph Serge Miot, was killed in the magnitude 7.0 earthquake. As many as 100 priests were still missing, sacristan Jean Claude Augustin said.

By the cathedral's ruins lay a small blue copy of the New Testament. Sheet music for Christian hymns was scattered through the street.

Haiti is, officially, predominantly Catholic, with some Protestant faiths. But across the board is an underlying belief in, or respect for, voodoo and other indigenous traditions, which are often mixed in with those religious practices.

Former Haitian President Bertrand Aristide was at one time wildly popular in part for his blend of superstitious spirituality, social activism and Catholic faith.

Many have turned to God for an explanation of this catastrophe visited upon Haiti. Tens of thousands of people have been spending the nights in the streets, singing hymns and calling out the Gospel.

Dudu Orelian, whose brother and nephew were killed, stood outside the cathedral.


(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Catholic; Current Events; Prayer; Worship
KEYWORDS: cathedral; haiti; ruins
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Comment #1 Removed by Moderator

To: netmilsmom; thefrankbaum; markomalley; Tax-chick; GregB; saradippity; Berlin_Freeper; Litany; ...
"God is angry at the world," Orelian said.

Our prayers for the victims of this catastrophe.

2 posted on 01/16/2010 11:17:03 AM PST by NYer ("Where Peter is, there is the Church." - St. Ambrose of Milan)
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To: NYer

The big guy sure doesnt need to be defended by little ole me but Im really getting tired of hearing God take the blame for this disaster.


3 posted on 01/16/2010 11:17:47 AM PST by DogBarkTree
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To: NYer

With my limited human understanding, I’d expect God to preserve His cathedral, as a witness that the Christian faith is the one to which the people should devote themselves.


4 posted on 01/16/2010 11:19:31 AM PST by ottbmare (I could agree wth you, but then we'd both be wrong.)
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To: DogBarkTree

Pretty sure that GOD doesn’t want VOODOO mixed with HIS religion.....God will NOT be mocked!!!


5 posted on 01/16/2010 11:20:31 AM PST by Ann Archy (Abortion,,,,,,the Human Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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To: ottbmare
Look what He did preserve:

"lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

6 posted on 01/16/2010 11:23:18 AM PST by AnAmericanMother (Ministrix of ye Chasse, TTGC Ladies' Auxiliary (recess appointment))
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To: ottbmare

On 9-11, I remember Guiliani pointing out that the Trinity Church was spared...


7 posted on 01/16/2010 11:23:51 AM PST by Sacajaweau (What)
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To: Ann Archy

Pretty sure God is above humanity’s follies and since God created heaven and earth anything that comes out of if it is HIS too.


8 posted on 01/16/2010 11:24:48 AM PST by DogBarkTree
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To: NYer

These are times when faith itself is tested. I hope a fund will soon be established for reconstruction of this magnificent Cathedral.


9 posted on 01/16/2010 11:26:43 AM PST by Steelfish
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To: DogBarkTree

That’s like saying that God created Porn! Please.....man has free will....voodoo is EVIL and not to be mixed with Christianity!!!


10 posted on 01/16/2010 11:28:29 AM PST by Ann Archy (Abortion,,,,,,the Human Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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To: AnAmericanMother

It is always interesting what does survive in something like this. I can not even come close to comprehending the impact of this earthquake.

The earthquake yes, more or less, The impact, no.

But with a world wide shortage of Catholic priests, this is not good for those who are Catholic in Haiti.


11 posted on 01/16/2010 11:29:17 AM PST by handmade
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To: Ann Archy

Are you any relation to Pat Robertson?


12 posted on 01/16/2010 11:31:24 AM PST by DogBarkTree
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To: AnAmericanMother

Wow! God is great. This is so similar to the cross of steel beams left in the wreckage of the World Trade Center. Makes you want to go down on your knees, doesn’t it?

~The OTTB mare, glad she is becoming a Catholic


13 posted on 01/16/2010 11:31:50 AM PST by ottbmare (I could agree wth you, but then we'd both be wrong.)
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To: ottbmare

Perhaps God believes that a better symbol and witness for those surviving will be the surviving Christians on the ground, able to actually aid and comfort those in need, rather than a static and rebuildable building.


14 posted on 01/16/2010 11:33:50 AM PST by Secret Agent Man (I'd like to tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.)
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To: ottbmare
With my limited human understanding, I’d expect God to preserve His cathedral, as a witness that the Christian faith is the one to which the people should devote themselves.


15 posted on 01/16/2010 11:35:47 AM PST by Clemenza (Remember our Korean War Veterans)
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To: narses; Salvation

*ping*


16 posted on 01/16/2010 11:38:54 AM PST by hennie pennie
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To: ottbmare

The Scriptures make it clear that rain falls on both good and bad persons. They also make it clear that such disasters cannot be automatically equated with the moral condition of the victims. Our human understanding is, indeed, limited. What we do know is that God can turn what is horrible into something very good because of His great justice and mercy. We know that His ways are higher than our ways.


17 posted on 01/16/2010 11:42:48 AM PST by SumProVita (Cogito, ergo...Sum Pro Vita. (Modified Decartes))
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To: SumProVita
What we do know is that God can turn what is horrible into something very good because of His great justice and mercy.

Good luck in convincing the Haitians.

18 posted on 01/16/2010 11:47:27 AM PST by verity (Obama Lies)
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To: NYer

100 priests in ONE Church?

In our Church we have ONE priest... and he has to cover two other small churches out in outlying communities.


19 posted on 01/16/2010 12:00:08 PM PST by LegendHasIt
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To: LegendHasIt
Since it is the See city, the diocesan offices would have been there along with the Cathedral and seminary and other parishes.

I had heard elsewhere that it was 100 priests and seminarians (considering that the seminary was one of the buildings that collapsed).

20 posted on 01/16/2010 12:51:46 PM PST by GCC Catholic (0bama, what are you hiding? Just show us the birth certificate...)
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