( CNN ) -- Televangelist Pat Robertson was n't blaming Haiti 's catastrophic earthquake on `` God 's wrath , '' but was talking about a `` widely discussed '' legend that a Satanic pact aided its founding slave revolt , a spokesman said . But the suggestion that Haiti 's historic woes stem from a deal with the devil comes from a 19th-century `` fabrication '' meant to discredit its slave rebellion and Vodou religion , a Caribbean scholar said Thursday . `` This is a longstanding trope of anti-Haitian venom , '' Kate Ramsey , a researcher at the University of Miami , told CNN . Robertson invoked the tale on his syndicated program , `` The 700 Club , '' on Wednesday to suggest the poverty-stricken country 's long history of natural disasters and political turmoil stemmed from a deal with the devil made by the leaders of its 1791 revolution against French rule . `` They said , 'We will serve you if you will get us free from the French . ' True story , '' Robertson said . `` And so , the devil said , 'OK , it 's a deal . ' `` The revolt succeeded , `` but ever since , they have been cursed by one thing after the other , '' the 79-year-old Christian Coalition founder and onetime Republican presidential candidate said . The legend of a Haitian deal with the devil dates back to the decades following its independence in 1804 , Ramsey said . It began with a Roman Catholic campaign against Vodou , the Afro-Haitian religion widely practiced in Haiti , and spread as anti-slavery movements gained ground in the Caribbean , Europe and America , she said . `` They did become mobilized to discredit what was called the first black republic by outsiders , especially in the context of debates over abolition in the Caribbean and elsewhere , '' Ramsey told CNN . European colonists in the Caribbean and the Americas believed that the Haitian slaves `` could not have possibly pulled this off themselves '' and must have had outside help , Ramsey said . Evangelical Christians have evoked the Haiti legend more recently and elaborated on it , `` but it 's drawing on a much longer history , '' she said . `` It 's utterly a fabrication , and it 's an extremely offensive one , '' she added . Haiti , the Western Hemisphere 's poorest country , has faced a string of natural disasters in the past two decades and been wracked by political chaos for much of its history . In a statement posted on the broadcaster 's Web site , Christian Broadcasting Network spokesman Chris Roslan said the `` widely-discussed '' legend , `` combined with the horrible state of the country , has led countless scholars and religious figures over the centuries to believe the country is cursed . '' But , he added , `` Dr. Robertson never stated that the earthquake was God 's wrath . '' `` If you watch the entire video segment , Dr. Robertson 's compassion for the people of Haiti is clear . He called for prayer for them . His humanitarian arm has been working to help thousands of people in Haiti over the last year , and they are currently launching a major relief and recovery effort to help the victims of this disaster . '' Robertson has previously linked natural disasters and terrorist attacks -- including Hurricane Katrina , which killed more than 1,800 people on the Gulf Coast in 2005 -- to legalized abortion in the United States .
Televangelist invoked tale saying natives made deal with slaves for freedom from France . Scholar : This is ` ` longstanding tradition of anti - Haitian venom '' meant to cause revolt , Vodou . It stems from belief that slaves could not have pulled off revolt alone , ' Ramsey says . Ramsey denies that said quake was God 's wrath , says he is praying for Haiti .