Pope Leo XIV has expressed sympathy for the victims of the Cebu earthquake, relayed through the Apostolic Nuncio following the magnitude 6.9 tremor that claimed dozens of lives.
‘The Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, Archbishop Charles John Brown, called me to convey the Holy Father’s heartfelt sympathies for all the survivors of the earthquake, and his prayers for the eternal repose of the victims,’ newly-installed Cebu Archbishop Alberto Uy said in a Facebook post. The magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck at 9:59 p.m. on Monday, September 30, with the epicenter located five kilometers deep and about 21 kilometers northeast of Bogo City, Cebu.
In response, Uy on Tuesday, October 1, ordered a structural assessment of all churches and rectories in the affected areas.
He also instructed parishes in the northern part of Cebu that were severely affected by the seismic activity to refrain from using their church buildings until safety assessments are completed.
As of writing, the death toll has risen to 72.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has recorded at least 3,036 aftershocks following the initial tremor.