Baltimore’s Catholic archbishop is calling for prayers after the disastrous collapse of the city’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the Sri Lanka-bound cargo ship “Dali” from Singapore collided with one of the nearly-50-year-old bridge’s support pillars, causing the bridge to crumple. The ship reportedly lost power and propulsion at least once and sent out a distress signal. While the crew of the “Dali” were all accounted for and not injured, at least six people are still missing and two have already been rescued. It is not known whether any cars were on the bridge at the time of its collapse.
Archbishop William Lori of the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore issued a statement reading, “Pray with me for all involved, especially the victims traveling over the span at the time of impact, the construction crews on site and all of the first responders acting with urgency to rescue survivors.” Saying that he was “saddened” to hear of the bridge’s collapse, he added, “Let us join in prayer asking the Lord to grant consolation and strength as we cope with this terrible tragedy.”
Rev. Franklin Graham urged people to “pray for all those affected by the bridge collapse in Baltimore, MD, this morning.” “For the victims who may be in the water,” he continued, “their families, and first responders on the scene working to save lives.”
Bishop Michael Burbidge of the nearby Catholic Diocese of Arlington wrote on social media, “At this time of uncertainty, in which rescuers are heroically working to find survivors of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, I call on all people of good will to pray that additional survivors will be recovered and for first responders, the victims, and their families.”
Family Research Council also asked for prayers via social media, posting, “Join us in praying for families and people affected by the Baltimore bridge collapse.” Others, including Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D) and Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown (D), issued similar calls for prayers and “#PrayingforBaltimore” was trending on Twitter Tuesday morning.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Apostleship of the Sea, based at St. Rita Parish in Dundalk, spent time on Sunday and Monday ministering to the crew of the “Dali” ahead of Easter Sunday. The organization, founded in 2003 to minister to the crews of ships docked in the Port of Baltimore, will return to ministering to the crew of the “Dali” once the rescue operation is concluded, debris is cleared, and the cargo ship finds a new berth.
The Port of Baltimore is one of the top 10 largest shipping ports in the U.S. and the Archdiocese of Baltimore is the nation’s first and oldest Catholic diocese, established in 1789.
S.A. McCarthy serves as a news writer at The Washington Stand.
