“The priority now is to rebuild lives,” says Archbishop of Caracas
Archbishop Raúl Biord of Caracas, Venezuela, says that the Church is accompanying the victims of the earthquakes while rescue efforts continue.
As search and rescue efforts continue, following the devastating earthquake that shook Venezuela, the Church has begun to deal with the great challenge of accompanying a deeply traumatised population. “For those who survived, it was a miracle, but we lost many people,” says Archbishop Raúl Biord of Caracas speaking to international charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
The magnitude of the tragedy continues to grow. According to the latest official figures, on Saturday 27 June, over 1,400 people have been confirmed killed, with over 3000 wounded. However, tens of thousands remain unaccounted for.
Several regions still don’t have electricity and many buildings collapsed completely, while others suffered such structural damage that they are effectively unusable, so people cannot return to their homes. Church sources who spoke to ACN estimate that around 250,000 people may have been left homeless due to the earthquake. Many banks are still closed, so people are unable to access cash to cover their most basic needs.
“We should take time to organise the aid we require. The needs are immense. Naturally, the main priority now is to rebuild lives,” says the archbishop.
A real miracle
The diocese that was most severely hit by the earthquake was La Guaira, especially the region near the coast, beside Caracas. The Seminary of St Peter and St Paul, for instance, suffered severe damage. “The seminarians were in the building when the earth shook. There were some lightly wounded, but nobody was killed and both the seminarians and their formators were able to leave. We can say that it was a miracle. However, the building is inaccessible, it cannot be used and it was heavily damaged. They lost everything, even their clothes and shoes… Nothing was left.”
For the first few days, the seminarians were housed in a sports centre in La Guaira, but the archbishop explained that they have since been moved to Caracas, where they will receive psychological care to help them overcome the trauma they experienced.
Archbishop Biord believes that emotional care is one of the most important things the Church can provide at this juncture. “One of the most important things now is to listen,” he believes. “We know of many families that had to remove their dead from the rubble themselves,” he explains.
The priests who have been accompanying the wounded in hospitals are first-hand witnesses of an almost indescribable suffering. In a text message viewed by ACN, one priest describes a recent visit to a hospital in Caracas. “Before giving the sacrament of the sick to a mother, I asked her how she felt. She smiled, and answered: ‘I’m alive,’ and then added: ‘everything is going to be all right. I have just had both my legs amputated, but we are going to move forward.’ Another mother asked me, before I gave her the sacrament: ‘Pray for my little children, who died.’ And a young girl, in tears, told me that she had lost her parents, her grandparents and her siblings,” said the priest, concluding that “the reality is devastating”.
Faced with this immense suffering, Archbishop Biord believes that one of the most urgent challenges now is to accompany the survivors. “We have lost so much. We need to care for those who survived. Priests and religious, as well as Caritas volunteers and pastoral agents must tend to the needs of thousands of people who have been badly traumatised. This will be one of the biggest priorities for the diocese over the coming months, to support and train those who will be on the front lines of this pastoral accompaniment,” he explains.
Amidst the catastrophe, the archbishop says that the Holy Father has been a source of great consolation. “The Pope wrote a lovely message to me. I was deeply moved.” Archbishop Biord also expresses his gratitude to ACN and other international charities, saying “we really need your support. It helps us to rebuild our lives and our country, together.”
ACN has approved a first support package of €100,000 to help the Church in Venezuela respond to the tragedy. The aid will help to support priests, religious communities and other pastoral agents who, despite having been badly affected themselves, continue to take in families, accompany victims and offer spiritual support in the wake of the tragedy. At the same time, the pontifical foundation continues to evaluate the needs on the ground, with the help of the local Church, and has also committed to helping with long-term reconstructions support.
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