Death Toll of Japan's Earthquake Reaches 55 with 57,000 Displaced - Pope Francis Sends Condolences and Prayers

On January 1st, 2024, at 16:10 JST, a 7.6 earthquake struck 7 km north-northwest of Suzu, located on the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. The Japan Meteorological Agency officially named this earthquake the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake.
The death toll has risen to 55, and 90 per cent of buildings in the city of Suzu are said to be severely damaged. The Japanese Catholic Church is close to the dioceses of Nagoya and Niigata, which are in the quake zone. Archbishop Kikuchi of Tokyo offered his “prayers for the victims. We will do our best to support those affected.”
Pope Francis expressed his closeness to the victims of yesterday’s earthquake in Japan, while the local Catholic Church is rallying around the dioceses of Nagoya and Niigata, the two Catholic jurisdictions affected by the event.
According to a telegram sent on the Pope's behalf by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, on Tuesday, the Pope was "deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and damage caused by the earthquake in the Ishikawa prefecture." “He assures everyone affected by this disaster of his heartfelt solidarity and spiritual closeness, and prays especially for the dead, those who mourn their loss, and for the rescue of any persons still missing.
“The Holy Father offers encouragement to the civil authorities and emergency personnel as they assist the victims of this tragedy, and willingly invokes upon all the divine blessings of consolation and strength.”
In Suzu, a city of about 13,000 inhabitants in Ishikawa Prefecture, about a thousand houses have been completely or nearly destroyed, with about 90 per cent of all buildings suffering damage.
As of midday today, the Japanese government reported that 57,360 people have been evacuated in Ishikawa and Niigata prefectures.
Japan’s small Catholic community is also closely following the events.
The area “of Nagoya Diocese, especially [the] Wajima area, were hit by [a] strong earthquake in the evening on 1st January 2024. The quake also affected part of Niigata Diocese,” writes Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo on Facebook.

“Our prayers [are] for [the] victims. The Catholic Church will do our best to be with the people affected and continue our support,” he adds.

“The Bishops’ Conference of Japan's ERST (Emergency Response Support Team) together with Caritas Japan,” led by “Bishop [Daisuke] Narui of Niigata, [. . .] are assessing the damage right now with [the] Bishop of Nagoya and will be discussing the possible response of the Church.”

For his part, Bishop Narui said he personally went to the Nishi neighbourhood, the hardest-hit area in Niigata, where he saw uplifted buildings and collapsed roads.

“Terao Church and Seishin High School are in good condition," he said. “Today is the anniversary of the death of Bishop Keiichi Sato, so I also visited the Catholic cemetery in Terao.

“I found a fallen tombstone (which was put back); fortunately, this was the only damage. However, seeing the effects of the earthquake in the city of Niigata, far from the epicentre, I imagine that the situation near the epicentre must be terrible.”
Sources: AsiaNews IT and Vatican News