Colombian-born bishop asks for prayers after 7.4 earthquake

Gomez confirmed that her family members are safe, but that her friends and neighbors have faced difficulties due to the earthquake. “So please pray for the firefighters and rescue teams and volunteers in the communities so that we can find more lives and save some who are waiting for help,” he said.

Bishop Robert Brennan of Brooklyn, New York, echoed Gomez in an Aug. 11 statement, saying, “Please join us in praying for our brothers and sisters in Colombia. We saw the horrific images. Homes reduced to rubble, rescuers trying to save those trapped — and the tower falling on the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary in Manizales.”

“At times like this, we must remember that even when a tower falls, the Church stands — one Body, keeping its suffering members in prayer,” he said. “For those who died, eternal rest. For the injured and the imprisoned, deliverance and healing.”

Bishop David O’Connell of Trenton, New Jersey, also asked for 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 telegram signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. “The Holy Father,” the telegram said, is “deeply saddened to learn the painful news of the earthquake that seriously affected several areas of Colombia, causing fatalities and numerous injuries, as well as serious material damage, including to many churches.”

Camila Gomez, deputy program director for Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), told EWTN News Nightly on August 11 that its representatives in Colombia are in the process of assessing the extent of the damage. “As it happens, we have received information from both official sources and our partners on the ground, as well as the IRC,” Gomez said. “We have had a presence in Colombia since 2018 and have some programs underway in parts of the regions where the earthquake occurred.”

Gomez noted that many of the schools in Buenaventura that the IRC works with in Colombia have been “severely impacted.” She said some of the school walls had collapsed and classes had been suspended for now. “So that’s one of the areas that we continue to watch very, very closely,” she said. “Not just the infrastructure, but especially the children, the families, the school communities.”

“We are also tracking very strong needs related to access to basic health services,” she said. “And we know there is a need for mobile health units everywhere the earthquake has impacted.”

Describing the Colombian people’s response to the disaster, Gomez said “there is a lot of solidarity.” “We are very close to the twin earthquakes that occurred in Venezuela just over a month ago,” Gomez said. “So this is still very much on our minds and in our hearts. And we as a nation stand in solidarity with our other fellow Americans 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 it’s gathering and shipping food items or relief items, or contacting law enforcement or the organizations they work with like the IRC.”

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is partnering with Caritas Colombia to provide aid to those affected by earthquake damage. “With collapsed buildings, many families were 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 national network in affected areas, to identify immediate needs for urgent assistance, including safe shelter, food, clean water and protection. Thanks to Caritas’ national diocesan and parish outreach, we have access to communities in urgent need,” said CRS.

©2026 Catholic News Agency. Published with permission. Original in English: Colombia‑born US bishop urges prayers after powerful earthquake https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/americas/colombia-born-us-bishop-urges-prayers-after-powerful-earthquake