The social action arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines called on dioceses to help rebuild damaged churches in the country’s Bicol region.
Caritas Philippines issued the appeal on November 7 after its initial assessment of the extent of the devastation brought by super typhoon “Rolly” (international name: Goni) in the Diocese of Virac.
Father Antonio Labiao, executive secretary of Caritas Philippines, encouraged dioceses and religious institutions “to help rebuild churches by adopting a parish.”
“A diocese or an institution, or a well-off parish, can adopt a particular parish in these affected dioceses and help rebuild the structures,” the priest told LiCAS.news.
“What we want to achieve here is for other churches to take care of those parishes that are struggling,” he said.
Father Labiao said his office has been receiving reports of partially and totally damaged churches in the seven dioceses of the Bicol region.
Super typhoon “Rolly” made two landfalls in the Bicol region on November 1, leaving massive destruction and affected at least two million people.
In the Diocese of Virac alone, where the typhoon made the first landfall, 23 out of its 28 parishes “have suffered great devastation and need the help of other churches.”
Father Labiao said church facilities in these parishes, including convents, were “significantly destroyed,” adding that “rebuilding them will require help from the outside.”
Caritas Philippines will release a complete list of partially and totally damaged churches in the coming days.
“We are appealing to other dioceses because the lay people in these typhoon-stricken dioceses are also in great need and giving them the responsibility to rebuild these infrastructures would be too much at this time,” he said.
Bishop Broderick Pabillo, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Manila, said he already instructed Caritas Manila to gather support from different parishes in the archdiocese.
The Aid to the Church in Need Philippines has also signified its commitment to extend help in rebuilding church infrastructures devastated by the typhoon.
In the Diocese of Albay, where the super typhoon made its second landfall, four major churches have been “damaged significantly.”
Father Rex Paul Arjona, social action director of Albay, said the repair and rehabilitation of the damaged church structures in the diocese are temporarily put on hold “because the diocese is focusing all of its resources to aid affected communities.”
“After our relief and recovery response in different communities, then we will focus on the repairs,” he said.
