CRS official says U.S. Catholics can learn from church in South Asia

Published: 2005-01-11

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNS) -- U.S. Catholics donating to tsunami relief efforts also have something to gain from getting to know the church in South Asia, said a U.S. aid official. "If we use this disaster to develop solidarity between the U.S. church and the peoples and churches of this region, the South Asian churches have a lot to teach us about interfaith work and interfaith approaches to resolving problems," said Kevin Hartigan, South Asia regional director of Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops' international relief and development agency. "This is particularly important at a time in the United States when there's a certain implicit tendency to vilify other religious groups. They've set a good example here for us to learn from," he said.

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