Cebu: Newly installed Cebu Archbishop Alberto Uy has directed priests in northern Cebu to suspend Masses inside their respective churches following the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck the province Tuesday night. In a press conference Wednesday, Msgr. Renato Beltran said Uy instructed the temporary suspension of holding masses in northern Cebu to prioritize the safety of clergy and parishioners while structural inspections of churches are being conducted.

According to Philippines News Agency, the instruction was specifically for northern churches because the quake severely impacted the area. Msgr. Beltran also advised priests across the region to conduct thorough checks of all churches to ensure safety. Archbishop Uy, who was installed as Cebu’s new archbishop earlier on Tuesday, decided to skip the scheduled fiesta Mass at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral and instead traveled to northern Cebu upon learning of the casualties and damage caused by the earthquake.

The archdiocese has moved quickly to set up a help desk for priests’ urgent needs and its Oeconomus office will deploy structural engineers to assess the safety of parish churches. Among the heritage churches heavily damaged is the Archdiocesan Shrine of Sta. Rosa de Lima in Daanbantayan town. Furthermore, Beltran noted that the archdiocese, through Caritas, will launch relief efforts to aid communities affected by the earthquake.