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PHILIPPINES: Cathedral destroyed by extremists to be rebuilt
By John Newton
A map of the Philippines, where Aid to the Church in Need is helping rebuild a cathedral damaged by a bomb attack
A cathedral in the Philippines which was destroyed by a bomb planted by extremists linked to Al Qaeda is to be rebuilt with help from Aid to the Church in Need.
The charity has today (Monday, 10th May) announced a grant towards the reconstruction of Santa Isabel Cathedral, in Isabela city, Basilan. The building suffered extensive damage in the blast, with almost three quarters being destroyed.
It is widely reported that Abu Sayyaf – an Islamist terrorist group with links to Al Qaeda – was responsible for the attack, which took place on 13th April.
Bishop Martin Jumoad of Isabela de Basilan has written to Aid to the Church in Need requesting urgent help to start rebuilding work as soon as possible.
In his letter, he stressed that the cathedral was a sign of hope in a region of widespread oppression and poverty.
He wrote: “We have to fix this cathedral because this is a very important sign of our Catholic faith here in Basilan.
“I ask [for help to rebuild] because we have no means to reconstruct this cathedral.”
Aid to the Church in Need’s contribution to the reconstruction work is more than £13,000.
The bishop pointed out that Catholics are a minority in Basilan, which is a largely Muslim state in the southern-most part of the country.
Taken as a whole, Catholics in the Philippines are 81 percent of a population which totals 88.7 million. But Basilan state is only 27 percent Catholic.
This is not the first time that the Christian community in Basilan has been targeted by extremists.
In 2008 Bishop Jumoad was among local Christians who received letters demanding they convert to Islam or pay the Islamic Jizya tax.
But the bishop fears the latest attacks may herald a renewed campaign of terror.
Speaking shortly after the cathedral bomb blast, Bishop Jumoad told news agency Fides: “These terrorist acts seek to make life difficult for Christians and drive them out of Basilan.”
He added: “It is the first time we are attacked so directly and with such force.
“In the past, I received several threatening letters and intimidation. There have been other smaller attacks, but now it is very different.
“This could be a tragedy. I seriously fear for my life and the lives of the faithful.”
Bishop Jumoad went on to encourage the faithful, issuing a pastoral letter calling on Catholics to remain in Basilan and organising a peace procession.
The cathedral bomb blast was part of a wider attack on Isabela city, reportedly carried out by at least 25 members of Abu Sayyaf who were dressed as police and soldiers. Another bomb damaged the education department building.
Other explosives, planted near a Catholic school and a judge’s house, were safely defused.
The bomb that devastated the cathedral was hidden in a motorcycle parked at the back of the building.
In Bishop Jumoad’s letter to Aid to the Church in Need, he described how the blast shattered the cathedral’s stained glass windows, took out half the ceiling and caused heavy damage to the structure. Administrative offices were also destroyed.
The total cost of rebuilding the cathedral, which was originally completed in 1970 and had a capacity for 1,400 worshippers, will be just under £69,000. Mass is now being celebrated in the nearby catechetical centre.
Buildings near the cathedral were also damaged, including the presbytery.
A gun battle between terrorists and security forces later in the day brought the number of deaths to 10.
Bensar Indama, the brother of Abu Sayyaf leader Furuju Indama, was among five militants who died, apparently in the first blast.
The region is no stranger to violence by extremists. Five people died in July 2009 – including a five-year-old boy – when a bomb went off outside the cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Cotabato City, Mindanao, which is also in the south of the Philippines.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front was blamed for that attack.
In 2008 Aid to the Church in Need provided £793,000 to help the suffering Church in the Philippines.