Newly-installed Cebu Archbishop Alberto Uy has ordered a structural assessment of all churches and rectories in the province following a strong earthquake on Tuesday night.
In a Facebook post, the archbishop also directed parishes in the northern portion of the province who were affected ‘to refrain from using your churches for the celebration of the Holy Mass until the proper experts have carried out the assessment and declared the structures safe for use.’
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology initially measured the earthquake’s magnitude at 6.7 before upgrading it to 6.9.
The earthquake occurred at 9:59 p.m. with its epicenter located 21 kilometers northeast of Bogo City in Cebu.
In a social media post, parishioners said that the centuries-old Archdiocesan Shrine of Santa Rosa de Lima in Daanbantayan town partially collapsed.
Meanwhile, videos showed that Parroquia de San Pedro Apostol was swaying during the earthquake, with lights and parts of the facade crumbling.
Uy’s installation rites were held at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, who attended the installation, described the earthquake as Uy’s ‘first major test.’
‘We continue to pray to our Loving Father for calmness and strength in the midst of these trials,’ the archbishop said.