Haiti's Day of Remembrance

It’s been exactly one month since a magnitude 7 earthquake devastated Haiti, and in the midst of continued rescue and rebuilding efforts the nation held a day of mourning Friday in honor of the more than 200,000 people who were killed. “The pain is too heavy—words cannot explain,” said President Rene Preval as he cried during a prayer service by the remains of the National Palace. The service was led by a Catholic bishop and the head of the Voodoo Priests (representing Haiti’s two official religions) but the divide between the two faiths has caused tension during the relief effort, and the disproportionate amount of aid from evangelical Christian organizations has led a number of Voodoo followers to convert. “The earthquake scared me,” said one woman who made the switch. “Voodoo has been in my family but the government isn’t helping us. The only people giving aid are the Christian churches.”