Church aid to the populations of South-East Asia struck by the tsunami on 26 December must continue and, more especially, must aim at reconstruction and the future. This is the “guideline” spelt out by Archbishop André Lacrampe of Besancon, chairman of the Council of solidarity to the aid associations and relief services engaged in helping the populations affected. According to the archbishop, we need to “continue to make the voice heard of those who are suffering and forge relations of close collaboration with the Episcopal Conferences of these countries”. Lacrampe described four types of intervention for emergency aid to these countries: construction of homes; aid for the recovery of forms of livelihood; support for families; and psychological support for the population. The solidarity expressed by the Church in France on behalf of the victims of the disaster is impressive: by 13 January, Caritas-France had collected 18 million euros. “What we have achieved on the crest of emotion said Msgr. Lacrampe risks being forgotten in the next 2/3 months. Let us hope, instead, that these events may become the occasion for a growing global awareness of the need for long-term solidarity and the importance of the decisive role of the political and international authorities”.
