Katrina could help resolve social problems, archbishop says at Mass

Published: 2006-08-31

NEW ORLEANS (CNS) -- The immense human suffering caused by Hurricane Katrina should spur survivors in South Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast not only to rebuild vigorously but also to improve the social problems it exposed, the archbishop of New Orleans said at a Mass commemorating the solemn first anniversary of the storm. Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes spoke Aug. 29 in a packed St. Louis Cathedral before a congregation that included President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura. "We ask not why God has allowed this disaster, but how does God want us to respond?" Archbishop Hughes said, calling to mind the words of St. Paul that "all things work for good for those who love God." He said, "There can be no glory without the cross. All affliction is intended to both purify us of what is evil and free us for greater good." Bush and the first lady sat in the front pew of the historic cathedral at Jackson Square, where in a nationwide address last September the president vowed full federal support in the rebuilding of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.

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