Pat Robertson, a Christian televangelist, speaking today about the devastating earthquake in Haiti, said Haitians had collectively “sworn a pact to the devil,” which brought on the country’s extreme poverty and the earthquake.
“Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French … and they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, ‘We will serve you if you will get us free from the French.’ True story. So the devil said, ‘OK, it’s a deal.'”
“Ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after another,” Robertson said, referring to the country’s poverty.
Robertson was speaking on the Christian Broadcast Network during a drive by the network, which he founded, to raise money for disaster relief.
“They need to have, and we need to pray for them, a great turning to God. And out of this tragedy I’m optimistic something good may come. But right now we’re helping the suffering people and the suffering is unimaginable,” he said.
About 80 percent of Haiti’s population is Catholic, but many Haitians also practice voodoo, another monotheistic religion.
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In 2005, Robertson suggested that Hurricane Katrina was brought on by the legalization of abortion.
Late update: A spokesman for Robertson released a statement aiming to clarify what he meant.
