Venezuela: ACN allocates 100,000 euros to support Church response to earthquakes
Priests celebrate Mass in the street as churches become shelters following deadly earthquakes
As rescue teams continue to search for survivors under the rubble following the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, the Catholic Church remains at the center of the emergency response, opening its doors to those who have lost everything, while accompanying thousands of people living in uncertainty, grief and fear.
According to the latest official figures, at least 235 people have died, more than 4,300 have been injured and some 200 people are waiting to be rescued from collapsed buildings. Thousands are still missing or unaccounted for. Although national authorities have officially registered more than 2,200 affected families, regional authorities in La Guaira estimate that around 70,000 families have been affected in that state alone. Rescue operations continue 24 hours a day and the full extent of the disaster remains unknown.
As a first response to the disaster, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has approved €100,000 in immediate aid for the Church in Venezuela. The pontifical foundation thus wants to support the work of the priests and religious communities which, despite having suffered serious damage, are accompanying the victims, welcoming families and spiritually supporting communities struck by fear, mourning and uncertainty.
“The Church in Venezuela has experience because the country has been suffering for many years,” said Luis Vildoso, ACN’s project manager for Venezuela. “It remains with the people. It comforts those who mourn, accompanies families searching for loved ones, and opens its doors to all who need shelter. Alongside this pastoral response, we are already assessing the damage to determine how ACN can best support the Church in this emergency, but also in the long-term reconstruction of the Church’s mission.”
A mass that continued in the street
One of the most moving testimonies received by ACN comes from Father Ignatio Caleya, from the diocese of Petare, who was celebrating Mass on the feast of St. John when the earthquake occurred.
The church was full of worshippers. When the ground began to shake violently during the second reading, people left the building. Once outside, instead of interrupting the Eucharistic celebration, the priest continued to celebrate Mass in the open air.
Within minutes, what had started as an emergency evacuation turned into an extraordinary leap of faith. Residents who had fled nearby apartment blocks joined in the celebration, as did patients and staff evacuated from a neighboring hospital. In the face of deadly fear, the liturgy became a place of comfort and strength for an entire community.
For ACN, the episode reflects one of the great tasks that the Church carries out in this catastrophe: to remain present where people most need hope.
“My family is still missing”
Another priest from La Guaira shared with ACN a much more personal tragedy. Although he and the parish house have been unharmed, several members of his family are still missing, including a three-year-old niece.
While he continues to take care of his parishioners, going out to the streets to console, to talk and pray with those who have been left homeless. He is also enduring the anguish of thousands of Venezuelan families who are still waiting for news of loved ones trapped under collapsed buildings. This is one of the most painful wounds at this time in Venezuela, especially in La Guaira – which had already suffered a huge natural disaster in 1999, “The Vargas Tragedy”, when a mudslide caused thousands of fatalities – but also in Caracas.
Only God and faith can alleviate suffering
Maria Lozano, head of press and media at ACN International, who knows the affected dioceses well, said: “We have walked these streets, prayed in these churches and spent time with the priests and families who are now living this nightmare. That is why this tragedy seems so close to us. In every major catastrophe there comes a time when statistics are no longer enough to describe what people are living through.”
“Right now, our hope is that many more people will still be rescued alive. But everyone fears that, as the hours pass and more buildings are reached, the true scale of the tragedy will become painfully apparent. Right now, there are parents waiting for news of their children, children searching for their parents, and families who still don’t know if their loved ones are alive under the rubble. Only God and faith can alleviate that suffering.”
ACN is in continuous contact with the Venezuelan Church and is preparing to support both emergency assistance and the reconstruction of damaged church infrastructure, so that local communities can continue to receive spiritual, pastoral and humanitarian support in the coming months.
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