Archbishop Asks for Prayers Following New 6.4-Magnitude Earthquake in Turkey and Syria

This was one of the most intense of the thousands of aftershocks that have followed the Feb. 6 earthquake, which to date has claimed more than 47,000 lives and more than 122,000 injuries in the border region.

A man speaks on the phone Feb. 21 in front of collapsed buildings, a day after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the region, in the coastal city of Samandag in Turkey's southern province of Hatay, the hardest hit by the Feb. 6 tremor .
A man speaks on the phone Feb. 21 in front of collapsed buildings, a day after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the region, in the coastal city of Samandag in Turkey's southern province of Hatay, the hardest hit by the Feb. 6 tremor . (photo: BULENT KILIC / AFP via Getty Images)

Archbishop Antoine Chahda, the Syrian Catholic archbishop of Aleppo, Syria, asked for prayers after a new 6.4-magnitude earthquake shook Turkey and Syria on Feb. 20.

In a statement to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, after the earthquake, Archbishop Chahda encouraged prayers “for us because all the people are out on the streets, the whole city. It was horrible, very terrible; we’re all trembling.”

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake occurred about 2 miles southwest of Uzunbağ, Turkey, near the Syrian border, at 8:04pm local time.

This was one of the most intense of the thousands of aftershocks that have followed the Feb. 6 earthquake, which to date has claimed more than 47,000 lives and more than 122,000 injuries in the border region.

The Syrian Catholic archbishop of Aleppo said that, “so far, no buildings have collapsed; the cathedral is okay. But tomorrow, when the sun rises, we will see what will happen.”

“People are out on the street. We’re okay. There seem to be no injuries in Aleppo. We won’t know until tomorrow,” the prelate commented.

The archbishop said that “for now we are receiving people who like to come to the cathedral. It’s full of people, just like the street.”

“We don’t know what will happen,” he added. “Only God knows. Pray for us.”

Father Esteban Dumont, who lives in Tarsus, Turkey, about 135 miles by air from Aleppo, said, “We’re okay. It felt strong, but we didn’t suffer any damage.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

President Recep Erdogan in 2020 converted the former Byzantine church, the Hagia Sophia, back into a mosque.

How Difficult Is It to Be a Christian in Turkey? What You Need to Know

Several hundred thousand Christians reside there. About 25,000 of those are Roman Catholics, many of them migrants from Africa and the Philippines, according to a 2022 report by the U.S. State Department. Turkey’s status as a place difficult to be Christian has long roots, despite the country being one of the original places where Christianity flourished.