March 1, 2010

The general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, has offered his condolences to the people of Chile, after a powerful earthquake struck along the coastline of central Chile on Saturday, 27 February.

In a letter to Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, Tveit said, "I want to express, on behalf of the World Council of Churches, our prayers and deep solidarity with you, the relatives and friends of the victims and the Chilean people."

"The WCC encourages churches to hold vigils and special services to join in prayers to God," Tveit said in the letter. "As the Psalmist writes, God is our safety and refuge even when the earth heaved and quaked and the foundations of the mountains shook" (Psalm 18: 2. 7).

Tveit is also encouraging all WCC member churches around the world to pray for the people of Chile as they recover from the earthquake.

According to news reports, the earthquake which struck at 3 a.m. Saturday morning measured 8.8 on the Richter scale and set off tsunami warnings throughout the Pacific region including some as far away as Japan. The Chilean government said nearly 700 people died as a result of the quake. The Red Cross of Chile said some 500,000 homes were severely damaged.

The earthquake was one of the five most powerful on record, the most powerful being the 1960 earthquake in Chile which registered 9.5 on the Richter scale. Saturday's quake was 700 – 800 times stronger than the recent Haiti earthquake but occurred at a greater depth, almost 21.7 miles (35 kms.).

The Haiti earthquake occurred at a depth of 8.1 miles (13 kms) and killed more than 212,000 people and left 1 million homeless.

In the letter Tveit said that the ecumenical movement was already responding to emergency needs through service agencies of the ACT Alliance and Church World Service. "Through local Chilean partners, CWS will provide emergency assistance such as food, water and shelter," the letter said.

Full text of the WCC general secretary's letter to Michelle Bachelet in English: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?id=2267&rid=f_13684&mid=1972&aC=63bab3c8&jumpurl=1, and in Spanish: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?id=2267&rid=f_13684&mid=1972&aC=63bab3c8&jumpurl=2.

WCC member churches in Chile: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?id=2267&rid=f_13684&mid=1972&aC=63bab3c8&jumpurl=3.

More information about the ACT Alliance response to the Chile earthquake: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?id=2267&rid=f_13684&mid=1972&aC=63bab3c8&jumpurl=4.

World Council of Churches