One month after the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, the Catholic Church is focused on “remaining at the side of the suffering,” according to Father Ricardo Guillén, episcopal vicar for pastoral ministry of the Archdiocese of Caracas.
In an interview with the archdiocesan press office, the priest explained how “physical presence, active listening, and organized charity” have been the cornerstones of the Church’s response to the tragedy, which claimed the lives of thousands of people and severely affected tens of thousands more.
“Our immediate priority was to be present where the suffering was most acute; we showed up and shared close up with the vulnerability of our people,” he said.
From the very first hours following the earthquakes, he continued, the Church understood that this accompaniment “could not take place from a distance” but rather “required being physically present in the places of greatest uncertainty to support those who had lost everything.”
“For this reason, we deployed directly to the areas most critical to the emergency,” he added. Consecrated personnel and lay volunteers assessed the scale of the disaster, offering special support to people at the morgues “to embrace and share in the families’ painful silence” and bringing the comfort of the sacraments.
“In each of those places, our mission was simply to be present, to listen, and not to leave anyone alone,” Guillén added.
‘God never abandons us’
After highlighting “the profound vocation of service and solidarity,” which he said especially characterizes the new generations of Venezuelans and which enabled the enormous logistical response to the emergency, the episcopal vicar noted that it is precisely “in closeness and compassion” that God’s presence is revealed amid so much pain.
Beyond providing material aid, the Catholic Church’s “fundamental mission” was to “be a living presence of the Lord and sustain the faith where suffering was the greatest,” regardless of the difficulties posed by the earthquakes. Thus, the Church “had to take to the streets,” transforming plazas, parks, and sports fields into “open-air altars” for religious services and encouraging the most popular devotions in Caracas and La Guaira.
“One of the most moving services was accompanying people in their grief,” he said. “We priests were present in morgues, hospitals, and cemeteries in Caracas and La Guaira, supporting those who were suffering, often offering nothing more than a hug, weeping with those who wept, praying together, or maintaining a respectful silence in the face of such immense pain.”
“Bringing grace and comfort to places where suffering reigned was living proof that God never abandons us,” he added.
What are lessons the earthquakes taught the Church?
Guillén emphasized that “the earthquake left deep scars, but it also revealed the immense spiritual and solidarity reserves of our people.”
“Far from plunging us into despair, this tragedy becomes an urgent call to make fraternity a permanent way of life, oriented toward the common good and the recognition of every person’s dignity,” he said.
He remarked that “true consolation requires neither explanations nor grand speeches,” but rather manifests itself “in quiet presence, in an outstretched hand, in attentive listening that takes in the pain, and in respectful silence that helps heal the wounds of the soul.”
The earthquakes “leave us with profound lessons” for the Church in Venezuela and have confronted the entire country with “the urgent need to organize ourselves better in the face of contingencies of this magnitude,” he said. In that sense, he continued, Cáritas must strengthen itself and become “a true network of solidarity capable of reaching even the most remote areas” of Venezuela.
“Ultimately, this time confirms for us that the faith lived out is authenticated through charity and tangible dedication to the most vulnerable,” Guillén said.
“For this reason, the Church in Caracas reaffirms its unwavering commitment to continue accompanying those affected. We are not pulling out now that the immediate phase of the emergency has ended; we will be there for the long road of rebuilding society and the integral healing of our people’s lives,” he pledged.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
