FROM THE ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF PORTLAND: Please join in prayer for the people of Turkey and Syria and consider assisting one of the agencies offering humanitarian aid.

On February 6, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, followed by a quake with a magnitude of 7.5, devastated large areas of Turkey and northwest Syria. The death toll has surpassed 20,000 and continues to climb. The earthquake is the worst to strike Turkey in nearly a century.

Thousands of buildings have been leveled with people buried beneath the rubble. In Turkey, most hospitals are unusable, and airports are closed. For Syrians, the damage took place in areas already devastated by years of war.

The Cathedral of Iskenderun in Turkey was destroyed, and the diocesan offices cannot be used. Retired Archbishop Jean-Clement Jeanbart, who led the Greek Melkite Catholic community during the worst of the war in Aleppo, was rescued from underneath rubble that was once his bedroom. However, a priest and a layperson who were in the house with him died.

Support relief efforts
The Pontifical Mission Societies and Catholic Relief Services are both supporting humanitarian relief in the countries. The Pontifical Mission Societies, which are the pope's charities, have mobilized its network of missionary priests, religious sisters, laymen and women to aid survivors. 

Catholic Relief Services, the international humanitarian arm of the Catholic Church in the United States, is partnering with Caritas Turkey, Caritas Syria in Aleppo and Lattakia, and other local agencies. 

To assist the work of Catholic Relief Services in Turkey and Syria, you can make a donation here.

To assist the work of the Pontifical Mission Societies, you can make a donation here.