The social action arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is conducting an assessment on how to assist dioceses areas affected by the magnitude 7 earthquake that rocked Luzon on Wednesday.

Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, CBCP-National Secretariat for Social Action Justice and Peace (NASSA) director, said they are expecting the social action centers of the dioceses from the affected areas to submit their reports.

At the same time, he asked the people to pray for those affected by the tremor.

On the other hand, the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia in Ilocos Sur also asked the people to unite in praying for everyone’s safety from the danger caused by the earthquake.

“We will find out if there are any injuries, but the facade of the Vigan Cathedral was damaged,” said Archbishop Marlo Peralta in a separate interview.

He added that they are also conducting assessments of the damage of the earthquake to properties, especially on churches.

Meanwhile, Monsignor Gary Noel Formoso, rector of the cathedral, announced that the church will be temporarily closed.

“The Vigan Cathedral is temporarily closed. We wait for the pronouncement from the structural engineers that it is safe to use it for our Eucharistic celebrations. Please pray for all Bigueños,” Formoso said in a Facebook post.

For his part, Fr. Jerome Secillano, executive secretary of CBCP-Permanent Committee on Public Affairs, said old structures such as churches are prone to damage caused by disasters.

“It’s unfortunate that natural calamities can bring down historical structures even religious ones like churches. Our helplessness amid such calamities is now more pronounced because of this recent experience,” he said in an interview.

The Catholic priest likewise asked for prayers for those affected by Wednesday’s tremor.

“We can only pray that no human life may further suffer from these destructive occurrences. I call for prayer and collective action to help those adversely affected by this earthquake,” he added. (PNA)