Australian Church plans agency to deal with natural disasters

The Catholic Church in Australia is launching a new project offering help with natural disasters. CERA - Catholic Emergency Relief Australia - will serve as a coordination point for Catholic agencies responding to natural catastrophes.

The Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference stated that the initiative "was established after the devastating fires hit Australia in recent months. It is also being seen as a blueprint for how the Catholic Church responds to domestic natural disasters in the future."

CERA will aim to help people recover from the chaos induced by the raging bushfires that have affected Australia in recent months. Since September 2019, at least 10 million hectares of land have been burnt in the fires, while 29 people and countless animals have been killed.

CERA has been co-founded by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Catholic Religious Australia, Catholic Social Services Australia and the National Catholic Education Commission.

Earlier this month, the Bishop's Conference encouraged Catholics to donate to the Vinnies Bushfire Appeal, which is supporting people who have lost loved ones, homes, property and animals.