Priests donate to Haiti earthquake victims

NOW, it’s the clergy’s turn to give tithes.

In a concrete expression of solidarity with the victims of earthquake in Haiti, more than 5,000 priests and a hundred bishops generously dropped in their donations as collection baskets were passed around during Mass at the plenary hall of World Trade Center today.

Priests all over the country are currently gathered at the World Trade Center in Pasay City for a five-day retreat congress.

The collected amount which is estimated to reach a million pesos will be sent to Haiti which was devastated by an earthquake about two weeks ago.

An earthquake with 7.0 magnitude rocked the Caribbean nation on January 12, which left most of its capital city Port-au-Prince in ruins, displacing millions of inhabitants and killing hundreds of thousands of people.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), has earlier urged parishes across the country to conduct a second collection in all Masses on January 24 for Haitian relief efforts.

CBCP president Nereo Odchimar said the tragedy that devastated Haiti calls on the public to action to help the people affected by the killer earthquake.

“We pray for those who have perished, for the injured and for the displaced at this difficult and sad time,” he said.

The Archdiocese of Manila has also issued a circular requesting all its parishes, shrines and communities for a second collection in all Masses on January 24. It also urged the public to continue praying for those who died and those who are suffering due to the calamity that befell on Haiti’s capital.