Pope Francis and the Catholic Church in Argentina expressed their solidarity with the victims of floods in the city of Bahía Blanca, in the province of Buenos Aires.
In addition to the prayers, the Catholic Church in Argentina has sent material help for Bahía Blanca, which suffers the serious consequences of the flood last Friday, after the 400 mm of rainfall fall in a few hours. So far 16 fatal victims have been found, more than 900 evacuated and large material losses.
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Within that framework, among the expressions of hope and signs of solidarity are those of Pope Francis, who is in his 25th hospitalization day in the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic. The pontiff sent a telegram to the community in the person of the archbishop of Bahía Blanca, Mons. Carlos Azpiroz Costa.
“Appeared to find out about the natural disaster that is affecting the Bahía Blanca region, and that has caused so many victims and material damage, I offer fervent suffering from the eternal rest of the deceased,” says the Holy Father in his message.
He also assured his spiritual closeness to the population, begging the Lord to “grant comfort to the relatives, how many suffer in these moments of pain and uncertainty”, and asking “to hold with their grace all those who are committed to the search for the disappeared and with the arduous process of reconstruction of the devastated areas.”
Finally, he assured his prayer to Our Lady of the Merced, to intercede for those affected, and sent his apostolic blessing.
The Executive Commission of the Argentine Episcopal Conference, meanwhile, made its own “the pain and uncertainty of our Bahian brothers, asking the Lord to mitigate the anguish of those who have been affected in various ways.”
They also begged that “strengthen volunteers in their delivery to take care of their brothers’ lives,” asking for the intercession of Our Lady of Mercy, patron of the Archdiocese of Bahía Blanca.
The Archbishop of Bahía Blanca, Mons. Carlos Alfonso Azpiroz Costa, and his auxiliary bishop, Mons. Pedro Furnou, went to the population “in these hours of anguish” that crosses the city.
“We want to be with those who suffer the most the consequences of the storm: ensure our prayer for each of the victims of this flood, and be close to those who have lost a loved one; of those who still manage to find the whereabouts of a relative, or those who have seen their homes flooded and have had evacuated, ”they said.
The bishops asked God to grant the comfort and “hold everyone in the mood to go afloat together”, and encouraged the population to trust the Lord and offer him “all the pain, uncertainty, fear or impotence” of the heart.
They also urged “mutual compassionate help” at this time. “In the midst of the storm, we want to say: We are not alone, God walks with us and never abandons us!” They exclaimed.
Cáritas Argentina immediately launched his campaign to address the emergency. “Your contribution is an invaluable help for those who have lost everything,” they say on their website inviting solidarity. Those who wish to collaborate can do it in this link: https://caritas.org.ar/emergencia/.
Julieta Villar
I am a journalist, a graduate in Communication from the National University of La Matanza in Argentina. I have work experience in non -governmental organizations. Since 2016 I dedicate myself to Catholic journalism, first in the Argentine Catholic Information Agency (AICA) and, since 2022, as a correspondent for ACI Press for Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Bolivia.