Catholic Church Helps Quake Victims in Chile

Church reaches out to the 15,000 left homeless and expresses its solidarity in word and deed.

SANTIAGO, Chile (CNS) - The Catholic Church has begun collecting funds for the more than 15,000 people left homeless after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake rocked the desert and mining region of Antofagasta, 760 miles north of the capital, Santiago.

The Archdiocese of Antofagasta, through the regional Caritas office, was coordinating with local parishes and the national offices of Caritas Chile to mount a nationwide fundraising campaign for victims of the earthquake.

Two women died and 161 people were injured -- 11 seriously -- while nearly 4,000 homes were severely damaged or lay practically flat on the ground after the Nov. 14 quake. Most of the damaged homes were made of adobe.

"People have not only lost their homes, but also many of their belongings, from furniture to kitchen utensils. But to save the costs and complications of transporting donated goods, we are calling on people to donate money that we can convert into bedsheets, chairs, pots and pans, etc.," said Luis Gonzalez Pizarro, director of Caritas Antofagasta.

Caritas also was collecting information from parishes throughout the region for an estimate of damages to church facilities.

"The problem is that distances are long, and there are isolated areas that can only be reached by helicopter, because roads have been cut off due to landslides," Gonzalez said.

In the midst of powerful aftershocks Nov. 15, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and several Cabinet ministers visited the most devastated areas to assess the damage. The three most severely hit municipalities -- Tocopilla, Maria Elena and Quillagua -- were declared disaster zones, allowing for the swift allotment of fiscal and emergency assistance.

"In these kind of situations, people have to help one another," Bachelet said, seeking support from Chileans across the country.

Bachelet announced that within a month the government would complete a registry of which homes need to be repaired or demolished, and she promised soft loans and subsidies to help families rebuild their homes.

She also said that the hospital in Tocopilla would be completely rebuilt. During the quake, two of its floors collapsed, and patients were transferred to other health centers or were being treated on outdoor patios while the military set up a hospital tent.

In Santiago, the youth vicar, Father Galo Fernandez Villaseca, expressed the church's solidarity with the victims.

"It is painful to know that so many families have lost their homes and are going through a sad moment. We express our solidarity and affection," he said.

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Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops