Archdiocese of Cebu asks prayers for fire victims in Cebu City and Australia

Fire victims go through the what’s left of their burnt homes a day after a fire hit Duljo Fatima in Cebu City on January 2, 2020. | CDN Digital file photo

Cebu City, Philippines—The Archdiocese of Cebu is encouraging the Catholic faithful to include in their prayers the victims displaced in the recent fire incidents in Cebu City and in Australia.

In a phone interview with CDN Digital, Monsignor Ruben Labajo, one of the Archdiocese’s vicar generals, said the church is encouraging the Cebuano faithful to pray for the individuals facing these kind of trials, especially as the Sinulog Festival draws near. 

“We are encouraging and asking our faithfuls and Cebuanos to include in their fervent prayers the victims displaced by the Australian bushfire. We’re also asking them to also include the victims of the recent fire incidents that struck Cebu City,” said Labajo. “In times like these, we are reminded that our God will be always there to provide help.” 

Two fire incidents happened in Cebu City  since the start of the new year. The first was in  Barangay Duljo-Fatima on January 2, 2020, while the other was in T. Padilla on January 4, 2020.

Read: Afternoon fire razes 70 houses in Duljo Fatima

Read: Two-hour fire in T. Padilla, Cebu City razes 40 houses

A fireman battles bushfires in Australia. | AP photo

The bushfires in Australia, which have been raging since September, have reportedly ravaged nearly 12.35 million acres, or almost 5 million hectares of land, and burned almost 2,000 homes. At least 24 people were reported to have died, according to a report in Inquirer.net. /bmjo