SCM Pastoral Letter on the Disaster in Haiti
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Passed by consensus of the General Board of the Student Christian Movement of Canada, January 17, 2010.
Words cannot express the feelings of shock and sadness at the news of the devastating earthquake that struck the Haitian capital city Port-au-Prince, on January 12. Early estimates suggest that tens, if not a hundred thousand, people have died and that countless others are missing, hurt, and without shelter.
The Student Christian Movement of Canada asks that your thoughts and prayers be with the people of Haiti in this trying time. We pray for the safety of all Haitians, including our comrades in the Student Christian Movement of Haiti (MEC Haití Allianza Cristiana de Estudiantes Haitianos). We ask that you also remember the Haitian diaspora communities in Canada and around the world waiting to hear news about friends, family, and loved ones. We pray for healing, strength and justice for the people of Haiti and their allies.
For a country that has endured great suffering brought about by hurricanes and tropical storms, dictatorships and military coups, and a long and ongoing history of imperialism and intervention from the Global North, this latest disaster brings more tragedy to a people who have already been through more pain, turmoil and struggle than many could imagine.
With the news that the United Nations Mission headquarters in Haiti has collapsed, that Doctors Without Borders’ (Médicins sans frontières) three hospitals in Haiti have been rendered unusable, that more than 1,000 Canadians are missing, and that many other development and aid workers are still unaccounted for, we ask that you also keep in mind those members of the international community who have been working as partners for the well-being of the Haitian people.
We also lament the systemic causes of Haiti’s poverty and underdevelopment, which directly contributed to the depth of suffering from this earthquake. Haiti is celebrated as the first independent nation in Latin America, the first post-colonial independent black-led nation in the world, and the only nation globally whose independence was gained as part of a successful slave rebellion. But today, Haitians continue to struggle for democracy, self-determination and economic stability.
For these things, and the deeply felt tragedy of this week’s disaster, we commit our prayerful solidarity as a movement.
In the name of Christ, the compassionate sufferer,
The Student Christian Movement of Canada
