AS the death toll rises to more than 33,000, Pope Francis has renewed his appeal for concrete help and prayers for all those affected by the devastating earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria.
“We continue to be close, with prayer and concrete support, to the earthquake victims in Syria and Türkiye,” he said.
Specialised search and rescue teams from across the world have joined forces in the affected areas and stories of extraordinary rescues, almost a week after the quake, continue to emerge. But humanitarian agencies are warning of a “second disaster” as scores of people left homeless in the freezing cold struggle to survive.
On the ground, religious and lay missionaries were co-ordinating efforts to provide pastoral and practical support to survivors who have lost everything, a situation worsened by the freezing temperatures.
“I try to be close, there is so much pain and fear in everyone’s heart. What this earthquake has done is unbelievable. People’s fear is stronger than when there was war,” Syrian Father Jacques Mourad said.
Facing the distressing situation, Catholic Mission, as the Holy See’s Mission agency, was taking action to support missionaries in Türkiye and Syria who are providing vital emergency support and pastoral care in this time of suffering.
“My message would be a call to prayer and generosity in the following times. After the first moments will have passed the second and third stage will start. Mourning and rebuilding,” Pontifical Mission Societies national director Fr Adrian said.
“We will have to rebuild and repair many buildings and churches for the service of people. As well as help people to move forward.”
Greek Catholic priest Father Fadi Najjar, who serves in Aleppo, Syria, told how he and his community have faced the death and devastation caused by the earthquake.
Najjar, 40, is the pastor of St. Michael Church in Aleppo, where he serves some 200 families and directs the Al-Inaya school where more than 300 students attend.
“There’s a lot of fear. We don’t know exactly what we can do and we’re also very hard hit, because we’ve lost a priest from our community,” Fr Najjar told the Archdiocese of Valencia, Spain, in a statement.
“I don’t exactly have official figures, but we are talking about thousands of deaths, thousands of injuries, and many people who have lost their homes,” he said.
To find out more, head to: catholicmission.org.au/earthquake-appeal
