The Catholic Church has mobilised a massive “Catholic church relief” humanitarian response across northern Colombia. This follows after catastrophic flooding claimed 22 lives and destroyed approximately 9,000 homes.
Catholic Church relief: Devastation as floods submerge entire communities
According to Crux Media, Church officials say relentless storms triggered the overflow of the Sinú, San Jorge, and Canaletes rivers over the past week. This also includes devastating communities in Córdoba, Antioquia, Santander, and Chocó departments.
The Colombian authorities reported that the region received an entire month’s rainfall in a single day.
Father Elkin Arenas Torres, head of the Social Pastoral Ministry of the Diocese of Montelíbano, described scenes of unprecedented destruction.
“I have been a priest here for 22 years and I have never seen anything like this,” he told Crux.
Despite warnings to prepare for flooding, residents who elevated furniture and appliances by approximately three feet found themselves defenseless. Entire houses and rural livestock have disappeared beneath the torrent.
In urban areas, countless families have lost everything. Arenas said they find families completely isolated by water, with nothing to eat.
Pope appeals for prayer and solidarity with victims
The Church says it has worked from the outset, distributing food and clothing. It also provides spiritual and emotional support to traumatised survivors.
According to the Church, damage estimates have reached 8.8 trillion pesos ($2.2 billion). Arenas, however, called the destruction incalculable, noting that officials are reportedly considering a corporate wealth tax to fund reconstruction.
Arenas also warned that crop destruction threatens not only peasant families but urban food supplies. Thousands of hectares of farmland also remain submerged.
However, he expressed concern that supplies are dwindling. He also noted that some city governments have already announced shortages.
The neighbouring Diocese of Montería has suffered even greater devastation due to its higher population density, Arenas said.
Father Dick Benjumea, director of the Social Pastoral Ministry there, said Church workers have fanned out across the region. Also, local governments, with Church assistance, have established ten temporary shelters.
Donation campaigns have spread nationwide, with aid arriving from Bogotá, Cartagena, Barranquilla, and numerous dioceses. Arenas confirmed that parishes have established collection and distribution points for donations.
The charitable response gained momentum following an urgent appeal from Bishop Farly Gil Betancur of the Diocese of Montelíbano. He affirmed the Church’s solidarity with affected families and invited Catholics in Córdoba to contribute to the campaign for flood victims.
Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV added his voice to the appeal on Wednesday during his weekly General Audience. He urged the entire community to support the affected families with charity and prayer.
Last year, the president of Catholic Charities USA urged the Trump administration to reconsider its pause on federal funding for grants and loans to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
Similarly, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) took legal action against President Donald Trump’s administration for halting funding to a refugee resettlement program.