Colombia‑born U.S. bishop urges prayers after powerful earthquake
Bishop John J. Gomez of Laredo, Texas, is calling on Catholics to pray for those in Colombia after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the country on Aug. 10.
“Pray for those who are out there in the rescue process,” Gomez, who was born in Colombia, said in a statement shared with EWTN News. “I’m praying that they will find those who are still there, trapped, so that we could save some lives.”
Gomez confirmed that his family members are safe but that his friends and neighbors have faced hardship due to the earthquake.
“So please pray for the fire departments and those rescue people and the volunteers of the communities so that we could find more lives and that we could save some who are waiting for the help,” he said.
Bishop Robert Brennan of Brooklyn, New York, echoed Gomez in a statement on Aug. 11, saying: "Please join us in prayer for our brothers and sisters in Colombia. We have seen the horrifying images. Homes reduced to rubble, rescuers trying to save the trapped — and the falling tower at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary in Manizales.”
“At times like this, we must remember, even as a tower falls, the Church remains — one Body, holding her suffering members in prayer,” he said. “For those who have died, eternal rest. For the injured and the trapped, deliverance and healing.”
Bishop David O’Connell of Trenton, New Jersey, also sought prayers, especially for “the families and other loved ones of some of our Colombian-born priests serving here in the diocese.”
Pope Leo XIV sent his condolences to Colombians affected by the earthquake in a telegraph signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
“The Holy Father,” the telegram said, is “deeply saddened to learn of the sorrowful news of the earthquake that has severely affected several areas of Colombia, causing casualties and numerous injuries, as well as serious material damage, including to many churches.”
Conditions on the ground
Camila Gomez, deputy director of programs for Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela for the International Rescue Committee (IRC), told “EWTN News Nightly” on Aug. 11 that their representatives in Colombia are in the process of assessing the extent of the damage.
“As it happens, we have been receiving information both from official sources [and] from our partners on the ground as well as IRC,” Gomez said. “We have had presence in Colombia since 2018, and we have some ongoing programs in parts of the regions where the earthquake took place.”
Gomez noted that many of the schools in Buenaventura that IRC works with in Colombia have been “severely impacted.” She said some of the schools’ walls have fallen and that classes have been suspended for the time being. “So that is one of the areas that we continue to track very, very closely,” she said. “Not just the infrastructure but most importantly the children, the families, the school communities.”
“We’re also tracking very strong needs as it relates to access to basic health services,” she said. “And we know that there is a need for mobile health units in all of the places where the earthquake impacted.”
Describing the response of the Colombian people to the disaster, Gomez said “there is a lot of solidarity.”
“We are very close to the twin earthquakes that took place in Venezuela a little over a month ago,” Gomez said. “So that is still very much in our minds and in our hearts. And we as a nation, we are in solidarity with our other fellow members of the country who are affected by this.”
“I think people have come together to try to provide support,” she said. “And to the extent that they can, whether itʼs gathering and sending over food items or first-necessity items, or reaching out to the authorities or to the organizations that they work with as IRC.”
Catholic aid response
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is partnering with Caritas Colombia to provide relief to those impacted by the damage caused by the earthquake.
“With collapsed buildings, many families are left without shelter,” CRS said in a statement. “Many families are in urgent need of shelter, clean water, food, medical care, and other essential support.”
“CRS is supporting our local Church partner, Caritas Colombia, with its nationwide network across affected areas, to identify immediate needs for urgent relief, including safe shelter, food, clean water and protection. Thanks to Caritasʼs nationwide diocesan and parish reach, we have access to communities in urgent need,” CRS said.
