The Venezuelan Episcopal Conference (CEV) sent a letter of solidarity to the metropolitan archbishop of Panama, Monsignor José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta, after the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that shook that country this Friday, October 9.
The letter, addressed to Ulloa Mendieta in his capacity as president of the Panamanian episcopate, It is signed by Monsignor Jesús González de Zárate Salas, archbishop of Valencia and president of the CEVand by Monsignor José Antonio Da Conceição Ferreira, bishop of Puerto Cabello and general secretary.
In it, the Venezuelan bishops expressed their condolences for the damage and human losses left by the natural phenomenon.
The CEV also expressed the spiritual accompaniment of the prelates and the Church in Venezuela to the affected families.
“We share the pain of those who mourn their loved ones today, we spiritually accompany those who have been injured or have lost their homes and property, and we unite in hope with those who work generously in rescue tasks, the volunteers and the entire local Church,” they stated.
Finally, the prelates reiterated their fraternal embrace and the firmness of the communion in faith between both nations.
The earthquake struck Panama at 12:56 local time (17:56 GMT) on Friday. It was initially reported with a magnitude of 7.6, which was later updated to 7.7 by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
According to that organization, the epicenter was located 12 kilometers from the town of Tonosí, in the south of Panama, and about 239 kilometers from the country’s capital.
As confirmed by the EFE news agency, The earthquake was felt strongly in some areas of Panama City, where several buildings in the old banking area were evacuated preventively.
