Archbishop Roberto González Nieves of San Juan, Puerto Rico, has received an award for his leadership in guiding Puerto Rico through rebuilding efforts after the nation was decimated by Hurricane Maria in 2017, and a series of earthquakes in the years since.
The Spanish-American War 125 years ago, although brief, spun confusion and upheaval for Catholics on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico’s archbishop said he has not been in contact with all his priests since Hurricane Fiona knocked out power to the island, and he expressed concern for the hurricane’s impact on the southern and western parts of the island.
Religious leaders in Puerto Rico have welcomed a debt restructuring plan that will reduce the stress on the U.S. territory’s economy and called for more focused efforts to reduce poverty and prioritize economic development.
There have been enough earthquakes in Puerto Rico over the past year and a half that the sensation has stuck with Archbishop Roberto González Nieves of San Juan. Sometimes, González said, he thinks the earth is shaking even when it’s not.
Puerto Rico’s top prelate issued a challenge for the island territory to clean up its political system, warning that right now, corruption “haunts and drowns” its society.
Archbishop Roberto Gonzalez Nieves of San Juan lives on the northern part of the island, which was spared most of the worst effects of the quakes. But on a Jan. 10 visit to the island’s southern region in the Diocese of Ponce – what he could see of it – the damage was much worse.
