VOA标准英语2010年-In Haiti, Faithful Gather for Mass at

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Drumbeats called the faithful to what is left of Port-au-Prince's main cathedral for a somber¹ Mass Sunday, the first since the devastating² earthquake.  The Cathedral, once a symbol of hope for Haiti now lies in ruins and parishioners are vowing³ to rebuild it again. 

In the shadow of rubble⁴ that once was the Cathedral of Port Au Prince, parishioners hold Sunday Mass six days after the earthquake that devastated⁵ the city.  During his homily, Father Marie Eric Toussant offered the assembled group of survivors⁶ what little comfort he could. "We told them to live with faith and that God is there to help rebuild the country.  And we must be sure of that," he said.

As he preached to the small gathering⁷, across the city, rescuers continued to pull survivors from the rubble.  The stench of death is still heavy in some places, bodies have been dumped along roads and in open spaces.  The Pan American Health Organization says the death toll⁸ is estimated at 50,000 to 100,000.  But others say it is far closer to the latter figure. Tensions are running high, and there are reports of looting as people grow more desperate. 

This Sunday, parishioners came to seek solace⁹ from the misery¹⁰ around them.  The Cathedral was once a premier¹¹ landmark¹² of the city.  The light on top of the tallest spire¹³ so bright, ships at sea would use it to navigate¹⁴.

The one constant here is the strength  of Haitian people, who have a never ending desire to survive.  Madame Edouard Thien is a member of the choir¹⁵, who prayed in the Cathedral every day. "This is a situation we will never get used to," she said.  But what we know is that we are the few that survived, and it is up to us to rebuild the country, so those who died did not die in vein," she told us.

Aid continues to trickle¹⁶ in from all over the world.  But not fast enough to meet the growing need.  Many simply go without, and pray tomorrow will be better than today.