Bishop congratulates Haitians and new president, urges global support

Published: 2006-02-22

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The head of the U.S. bishops' international policy committee congratulated the Haitian people and their newly elected leader, President Rene Preval, and urged the international community and U.S. Congress to offer assistance to the Caribbean country. In a Feb. 21 statement on Haiti's recent elections, Bishop Thomas G. Wenski of Orlando, Fla., noted that the challenges facing Haitians and their new president "are enormous and will require the cooperation of all sectors of society." "The people of Haiti have taken an important step forward in electing a president," he said. "Now the United States and the international community must take additional steps to accompany the Haitian people as they walk the long road to a future of democratic and economic revitalization." Bishop Wenski urged the international community to increase its assistance to Haiti and "partner in the development of capacity for sustained economic growth and social transformation."

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