On the afternoon of June 24, the Solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist, two strong earthquakes struck Venezuela, causing more than 150 fatalities, hundreds of injuries, and severe damage to homes, public buildings, and Church property.
In a video posted on Instagram, Archbishop Raúl Biord Castillo of Caracas, the nation’s capital, prayed for his people: “We ask God that we may all face this together, finding comfort in God, and in solidarity and charity”. He added that the Cathedral of Caracas, along with other churches, had been severely damaged, though power and internet outages made it difficult to determine the full extent of the destruction.
Bishop Pablo Modesto González Pérez of La Guaira, one of the most affected dioceses, said in an interview with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that the earthquakes had been devastating: “In the seminary, many walls collapsed. Now, we are in the parking lot of the sports stadium, waiting for the firefighters to evaluate the building to find out what we are going to do. Thank God there have been no serious problems with the priests, although several churches have suffered significant damage.”
He noted that, despite the destruction, a solidarity network had been activated through Caritas and that “many parishes have received people to spend the night in their facilities.”
Click here for a litany prayer for Venezuela after the earthquakes.