Catholic Church in Costa Rica expresses solidarity with rain victims

The Catholic Church joined in solidarity with the families who have lost their loved ones and with all the people affected by the “intense and prolonged rains” that have hit Costa Rica since November 1. This national emergency has intensified in recent days due to several natural phenomena, including the influence of Hurricane Rafael as it passed through the Caribbean.

In one news conference On November 9, the president of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Chaves, reported that heavy rains in the country caused the death of two people. Among the victims are a three-year-old boy, who died after his home collapsed due to a landslide, and a university student who lost his life when a tree fell on him. In addition, the president indicated that search efforts continue to locate two missing people.

For his part, the president of the National Emergency Commission (CNE), Alejandro Picado, pointed out that assistance is being provided to around 1,000 people housed in 27 shelters set up in the most affected areas.

The Government of Costa Rica declared a national emergency on November 13 in response to the severe damage caused by the rains, as well as the high probability of floods and landslides, especially in the Pacific region.

In this context, the Episcopal Conference of Costa Rica shared a statement in which he expressed his “deep solidarity” with the families who have lost their loved ones, as well as with those who have been in temporary shelters and those who remain in them, as well as with those who “have suffered damage to their homes.” and belongings, as well as farmers who have experienced the loss of their crops and the impact on their livestock.”

The bishops also regretted the interruption of activities, such as the provisional closure of educational centers, and expressed their concern about the disruption in productive and commercial tasks, as well as the “domestic emergencies” caused by the closure of roads.

In their statement, the bishops called on the authorities so that, once the emergency is over, special attention be given to families who will be “aggravated in their situation of poverty.” In addition, they requested that financial assistance be provided to agricultural producers, in order to support their recovery and guarantee “the feeding of their families during the course of their economic reactivation.”

Actions of the Catholic Church

The bishops assured that, on behalf of the Catholic Church, Social Pastoral-Cáritas agents “are offering their solidarity support in caring for people in temporary shelters” and also providing assistance to those “who have not been able to leave their homes.”

Likewise, they pointed out that there are priests providing “emotional support to people affected by this emergency,” whom they encouraged to continue with hope during this difficult process.

They called on the Catholic community and the population in general to be attentive to upcoming calls on “ways to cooperate in the response and recovery process of this emergency.”

As pastors of the People of God, they expressed to the national community the commitment of the Church “to continue serving in these very difficult circumstances,” and joined the calls for solidarity to “alleviate the suffering of those who have been hardest hit by “the inclemency of the extreme events that are hitting us.”