Colombia: Cardinal Rueda leads a mission of priests to communities affected by the earthquake

In order to provide close support to the communities affected by the earthquake on August 10, Cardinal Luis José Rueda Aparicio, Archbishop of Bogotá, set out by land on Tuesday, along with 80 priests, for the hardest-hit parishes on a mission they called “Spiritual First Aid.”

The mission began to take shape, as Cardinal Rueda explained in an interview with ADN Celam, in response to a question that arose in light of the tragedy’s magnitude: “Is this really happening in our country? What can we do as priests?” Thus, while various groups mobilized to address material needs, the Church decided to be present through closeness, listening, and prayer.

For Cardinal Rueda, the Church’s presence in the early days of the emergency is essential, when communities are facing uncertainty, pain, and many questions. At that time, “spiritual first aid” means being there for them, listening, and walking alongside them without trying to immediately resolve their suffering.

“First aid requires closeness, the ability to listen, empathy, dialogue, and almost silent prayer,” said the archbishop of Bogotá. The mission, he explained, begins by standing alongside those who are suffering, listening to their stories, and reminding them—through faith—that they are not alone.

The cardinal emphasized that the mission seeks to reach out to communities with humility and without placing additional burdens on them in the midst of the emergency. “We have made it our goal not to be a burden, but to arrive and be present in the communities in the simplest, most humble way possible,” he noted. The priests will carry out their work in coordination with the bishops and the affected ecclesiastical jurisdictions.

But the encounter with the affected communities, as the archbishop explained, also invites priests to allow themselves to be moved by the stories of suffering they will encounter and to discover in them the presence of Christ, who is capable of renewing their vocation and mission.

“It’s a win-win situation,” he explained. The communities benefit from a local presence, while the priests return enriched by the testimony of people who, even in the midst of loss, help them discover “the message of love, the message of Christ—that even in the midst of pain, we know how to interpret it and turn it into prayer and mission.”

The delegation is composed of Cardinal Rueda, the auxiliary bishops of Bogotá—Monsignors Alejandro Díaz, Edwin Vanegas, and Germán Barbosa—territorial episcopal vicars, and priests from the archdiocese. In total, there are 80 volunteer priests, under the general coordination of Monsignor Ricardo Pulido, who heads the Diaconate for Integral Human Development.

During their stay, they will accompany the parish priests and communities, offering a listening ear, prayer, and the sacrament of Reconciliation, with the aim of strengthening the Church as a “Meeting Place.”

In light of the stories of those who have lost their loved ones, their homes, or their workplaces, the Archbishop of Bogotá admitted that pain cannot be erased with a word or even with material help. But in the midst of this reality, he emphasized, a force capable of sustaining also emerges: the solidarity that arises among those who choose to accompany those who suffer.

“We see God’s love in the hands, in the time, and in the generosity of so many young people, so many adults, and professionals from all fields who are serving,” the cardinal emphasized. Amid the tragedy, he said, this outpouring of solidarity reveals “the best side of Colombians”: people capable of standing alongside those who are suffering and sharing with them their time, their skills, and their resources.

Cardinal Rueda also thanked public and civil institutions, as well as those in Colombia and other countries who have reached out to the affected communities. He called for this spirit of solidarity to continue, so that pain can become a common ground for serving and rebuilding together. “May the Lord grant us the opportunity to serve one another, to love one another, and to find common ground in the midst of this tragedy,” concluded the Archbishop of Bogotá.

The teams of priests participating in the spiritual first-aid mission in the areas affected by the earthquake were deployed to six zones: Cartago, Pereira, Cali, Palmira, Buenaventura, and Buga. Cardinal Luis José Rueda Aparicio, Archbishop of Bogotá, will carry out his mission in Cartago, accompanied by Monsignor Ramón Rolón, Bishop of Chiquinquirá, and a group of priests.

The missionary experience, centered on closeness, listening, and prayer, will take place from Wednesday, August 19, through Friday, August 22, following the mobilization and arrival day scheduled for Tuesday, August 18. On Sunday, August 23, there will be a day of prayer for the parishes visited.

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