Pope Leo XIV spoke by telephone on Wednesday with Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis following a powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck the nation on August 10. According to a statement released by the Vatican Press Office, the Holy Father expressed his personal solidarity and spiritual closeness to the families of the deceased, the injured, and the emergency and relief personnel working on the front lines.
The conversation comes as the full extent of the disaster continues to emerge across the country. Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) reported that the earthquake, centered in the municipality of San José del Palmar in the Chocó department, impacted 16 departments and 497 municipalities. The disaster has affected nearly 294,000 families, leaving 331 people dead, over 4,500 injured, and 136 missing, while destroying more than 36,000 homes and damaging thousands of public and religious buildings.
In response to the crisis, Pope Leo XIV had previously conveyed his condolences through Monsignor Francisco Javier Múnera, president of the Colombian Episcopal Conference, offering prayers for the victims and rescue teams. To support immediate relief operations, the Pope also directed a donation of €100,000 to be dispatched to the Catholic Church in Colombia via the Vatican Almoner’s Office to assist affected communities.