Cardinal Bo prays for Philippines quake victims

By Linda Bordoni

Cardinal Charles Bo said he is grieving for the people of the Philippines who have been struck by a series of earthquakes this week that killed at least 20 people.  

In a message addressed to the Archbishop of Manila, Cardinal Luis Tagle, to the Filipino bishops and faithful, Cardinal Bo expressed his solidarity for the disaster that hit the Philippines on 22 and 23 April.

“It is with deep sorrow that I heard about the multiple earthquakes that hit your nation and took the lives of some 20 people, injuring hundreds and with several people reported missing”, he said.

He said he is sincerely anguished at the tragedy that has taken on so many human lives in the Philippines “just as we are coping with heinous attacks on Christians in Sri Lanka which has left us all numbed of comprehension”.

Cardinal Bo concluded saying that he, and all the bishops of the member countries of the Federation of the Asia Bishops Conferences are praying for the victims of this natural calamity as well as for the survivors, care givers and relief agents.

Two unconnected earthquakes

The earthquake that struck the nation on Tuesday registered a magnitude of 6.4 and was centered in Samar, an island in the central eastern part of the country. The location is about 400 kilometers southeast of the magnitude 6.1 earthquake on Monday that killed at least 16 people and shook buildings in the capital, Manila.

Many areas hit by the quake remain without power as electricity providers cut off supply to prevent fires while damage is assessed.

The Philippines, at the geographical intersection of multiple tectonic plates, sees frequent seismic activity and sometimes deadly earthquakes.

Officials from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the two earthquakes this week did not appear to be connected.