Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania Archives - NZ Catholic Newspaper

 

The Catholic Bishops of Oceania have sent a message of prayerful condolence and solidarity to Church and civic leaders in Turkey and Syria as the countries suffer the effects of devastating earthquakes.

Meeting for their quadrennial assembly of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania in Fiji, the bishops expressed deep sadness at the loss of life and the damage from which it will take years to recover.

“We know that God is close to those that suffer. We pray that your people sense the love and care of their brothers and sisters around the world, including from Oceania,” the bishops wrote.

The message was signed by the president of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania, Suva Archbishop Peter Loy Chong, with the support of the presidents of the four episcopal conferences: Australia, New Zealand, Solomon Islands/Papua New Guinea and the Pacific.

Here is the text of the message:

From the other end of the world, our hearts break at the death and destruction we are seeing on our television screens and in our newspapers.

We know that God is close to those that suffer. We pray that your people sense the love and care of their brothers and sisters around the world, including from Oceania.

One of the key themes of our Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania gathering this week is the connectedness of human suffering and the suffering of our world. We have seen in your countries how natural disasters can wreak such pain and anguish, with thousands of lives lost.

The Catholic Church has established appeals to raise funds to support the ongoing efforts for rescue and recovery, and we will encourage the faithful in our region to respond generously.

The Church is also providing human resources on the ground to respond to immediate needs through our aid agencies.

Be assured of our ongoing prayers and our attention as your people recover from this tragedy.

 

Thousands of families at risk as death toll continues to rise from Türkiye- Syria earthquake

Thousands of families are at risk after the catastrophic Türkiye-Syria earthquake on Monday.

More than 12,000 people have been killed, with thousands more injured or trapped in the rubble. The death toll continues to mount.

“This disaster has hit people who were already displaced, in a region that has been devastated by more than a decade of civil war. Yet again, we’re seeing people fleeing for their lives and desperate for shelter in freezing winter conditions,” said Sally Thomas, Caritas Australia’s Humanitarian Lead for the Middle East.

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Caritas

Support Syria and Turkey now

Turkey and Syria have been struck by a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake, which has caused thousands of deaths. Your support is needed now.

DONATE NOW

 

What is happening in Syria and Turkey?

Thousands of people have been killed after a catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southeast Turkey (officially known as Türkiye) and Syria, followed by another large earthquake only hours later.

  • Thousands of deaths have been reported in Turkey and Syria, and the death toll is increasing by the hour.
  • Freezing winter weather is only adding to the devastation, as the thousands left injured, trapped or homeless are stuck in bitter cold and freezing rain.
  • The quakes caused devastation in rebel-held northwest Syria, where entire buildings collapsed, leaving people trapped under the rubble.

The time to act is now. We’re in contact with Caritas Syria and other Caritas agencies on the ground as they assess the scale of the damage and critical needs. Your donation today will help communities affected by the earthquake. 

 

https://www.caritas.org.au