Earthquakes cause serious damage to Venezuelan seminary, churches
June 26, 2026
Violent earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24, causing extensive loss of human life and damage to Catholic institutions.
The U.S. Geological Survey stated that there was a 95% probability that deaths exceeded 1,000, a 68% probability that deaths exceeded 10,000, and a 24% probability that deaths exceeded 100,000.
“I have just returned from a tour of several parishes,” Archbishop Raúl Biord Castillo, S.D.B., of Caracas, the nation’s capital, told Aid to the Church in Need. “Many of them have serious structural damage,” including the cathedral and a dozen other churches.
“We are without electricity and we have all been affected,” said Bishop Pablo Modesto González Pérez, S.D.B., of La Guaira. “In the seminary, many walls collapsed.”
“Thank God there have been no serious problems with the priests, although several churches have suffered significant damage,” he added.
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