San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sep 29, 2017 / 15:58 pm
The Puerto Rican bishops' conference issued a message of hope to Puerto Ricans after Hurricanes Irma and Maria destroyed much of the U.S. territory this summer.
In the letter, published on Sept. 27, the bishops of Puerto Rico said that the destruction "fills us with pain and suffering, especially when we see so many tears, and so much anguish in the faces of our people."
On Sept. 6, Hurricane Irma passed through northern Puerto Rico, though it did not directly impact the whole island. However, on Sept. 20, Hurricane Maria directly hit the island as a Category 4 storm, leaving at least 16 dead. The hurricanes have left much of the island without water and electricity, and have led to widespread shortages of gasoline and food.
Puerto Rico's governor, Ricardo Rosselló, told local media that these storms are "Puerto Rico's biggest catastrophe...in terms of damage to infrastructure."