Church in Colombia aids victims of devastating earthquake while assessing damages

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck large parts of western and central Colombia on Monday, August 10. The epicenter was recorded in the municipality of San José del Palmar, in the department of Chocó. According to the latest official report, the emergency has left 265 people dead, 3,494 injured, and 496 missing.

The earthquake affected over 53 thousand people and leveled at least 257 buildings. Cities such as Cali, Pereira, Quidbó, Manizales, and Armenia remain in a state of high alert. In the face of this situation, a team from Aid to the Church in Need – Colombia, headed by executive director María Inés Espinosa Calle, will be travelling to the dioceses of Quidbó, Istmina-Tadó, and Buenaventura. The aim of the visit is to assess the damage caused to Church infrastructure, to accompany local communities, and collect testimonies from pastoral agents who have stayed with the affected population.

The national office remains in constant contact with the bishops of the affected areas, who describe high levels of destruction. Bishop Mario de Jesús Álvarez Gómez of Istmina-Tado has been traveling around his diocese over the past days, as far as the condition of the roads permits. He has shared with ACN his concern that “the situation is terrible; there is much more damage than one could imagine.”

Bishop Winston Mosquera of Quibdó says that “the hospitals are overwhelmed.” Speaking to ACN, Bishop Mosquera explained that the earthquake coincided with a period of parish transitions in his diocese, during which outgoing parish priests hand over their communities to incoming ones. Many of the priests saw how the investments they had worked so hard to make to renovate churches, presbyteries, and other church buildings came crashing down, a setback that means “starting over, almost from scratch.”

As is customary in these disaster situations, the Catholic Church has become one of the first places of refuge, offering shelter, comfort, and spiritual support to families from the very first hours. The international aid and presence of the foundation aims to support dioceses in their humanitarian and pastoral work. ACN’s visit has been welcomed by the local clergy, as expressed by Father Harold Romaña, treasurer of the Diocese of Buenaventura, who said: “Thank you for loving us so much.”

– Hernán Darío Cadena & John Camacho