The Catholic Church has encouraged solidarity with those affected by the intense rains and floods, caused by tropical storms “Raymond” and “Priscilla”, which affect several states in Mexico.
According to a statement As of this October 12 of the Government of Mexico, the rains and floods have strongly affected Veracruz, Puebla, Hidalgo and Querétaro, in the east and center-east of the country, as well as San Luis Potosí, in the center-north.
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The official death toll to date is 44, 18 in the state of Veracruz, 16 in Hidalgo, nine in Puebla and one in Querétaro. At least 126 temporary shelters have been set up to house more than 3,000 affected people.
The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, reported in a video message This October 12, “torrential rains were recorded on Thursday afternoon in five states of the Republic, particularly in the Huasteca region and surrounding municipalities.”
“The Civil Protection Committee was installed very early on Friday,” he said, and assured that “from the first moment work is being done to open roads,” as there were “108 interruptions on 18 federal highways,” of which “103 have already been addressed.”
For this Sunday, Sheinbaum is scheduled to visit three of the affected states —Puebla, Veracruz and Hidalgo—, and will arrive in Querétaro and San Luis Potosí on Monday the 13th.
“We are attending to the emergency, ensuring that there is food, that there is drinking water, that the shelters are working 100 percent in coordination,” he said, and announced that “in all the localities where there were effects there will be a census and from the census all the support required will be given to the population. We are not going to leave anyone helpless.”
The Church: Mexico lives “days of pain and urgency”
The Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Communication (CEPCOM) of the Conference of the Mexican Episcopate indicated on Friday, October 10, that “the country is experiencing days of pain and urgency: the intense rains have caused landslides, overflows and serious damage” in various communities.
“Let us pray together for the victims and their families who today have lost their home or are experiencing uncertainty,” said CEPCOM, while indicating that the Church in Mexico “accompanies and coordinates care and aid efforts.”
“You can support our affected brothers!” he urged, sharing a series of diocesan and Caritas publications on donation possibilities.
Mons. José Trinidad Zapata Ortiz, Bishop of Papantla, Veracruz, shared in a message his pain, prayer and solidarity for “the families and communities” of the city of Poza Rica, who suffered a flood due to the overflowing of the Cazones River.
The residents, he said, were forced “to leave their belongings and even vehicles and, to save their lives, they climbed to the roofs of their homes. We also had parishes in Poza Rica that suffered these floods.”
“As a Church, we make an urgent call for solidarity. May our faith be translated into concrete gestures of fraternal love,” the bishop encouraged.
The Bishop of Tuxpan, also in Veracruz, Mons. Roberto Madrigal Gallegos, noted in a letter that in the midst of natural disasters “we unite as brothers through prayers and solidarity.”
While encouraging us to ask God “that this contingency will soon pass,” the bishop encouraged that “we try to project our faith by expressing solidarity and subsidiarity from the parish Caritas Committees or from the media available to them.”
Among the suggested donations, the bishop included non-perishable groceries, bottled water, personal hygiene and cleaning items.
At the end Mass this Sunday, October 12 in the archdiocesan cathedral, the Archbishop of Puebla de los Ángeles, Mons. Víctor Sánchez Espinosa, assured that both Archdiocesan Caritas like the Food Bank, both works of the Catholic Church, “from the first news of their floods they have been attentive to providing support and help to these brothers.”
The prelate announced that he will travel to the area, “as far as he can go,” “to see the situation of some communities” and the priests who serve them.
David Ramos
Graduated in Communication Sciences from the Universidad Privada del Norte in Trujillo, Peru. With more than 12 years of experience in Catholic journalism working at ACI Prensa, I have been based in Mexico since 2018. I have covered Pope Francis’ trips to Ecuador, Paraguay, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Panama.