This Sunday, Pope Francis received an angel damaged during the floods suffered by numerous localities last October in eastern Spain on behalf of “the priests who have cried” in Valencia.
The present came into the hands of the Pontiff from Eva Fernández, Vatican correspondent of the COPE Network (owned by the Spanish Episcopal Conference) during the flight back to Rome from Corsica, where his 47th apostolic journey took place.
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The image comes from the parish of Nuestra Señora de Montserrat, in the town of Picaña, perhaps the temple most affected by the isolated atmospheric depression at high levels (DANA) that affected Valencia and other regions of Spain on October 29.
The sculpture was accompanied by a letter signed by the episcopal vicar of the metropolitan area of Valencia, Father Jesús Corbí, explaining that it was given to him “in memory of all those who have died in this flood, in memory of so many families who have lost everything, in gratitude to all the volunteers who have helped us.”
Likewise, Corbí points out that the words and feelings included in the letter are made “in the name of the priests who have cried and been muddy, cleaning, encouraging and burying loved ones.”
Father Corbí also appreciates the numerous signs of closeness of Pope Francis to the victims of the tragedy, through calls to the Archbishop of Valencia, Monsignor Enrique Benavent, and the visits of the Apostolic Nuncio, Monsignor Bernardito Aúza, and of the prefect of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, Cardinal Michael Czerny.
“We send you this angel who has been for decades in a gesture of adoration next to the tabernacle of the parish of Picanyathe most damaged of the entire diocese. It is a sign of prayer and suffering and the work of our people that, walking together, we are going to be pilgrims of hope in this dramatic situation.”
The angel given to the Holy Father was found without head or wings after the floods. The one who was paired with him on the other side of the parish tabernacle was completely unrecognizable, according to the Archdiocese of Valencia.
Nicholas de Cardenas
Born in 1980, I am a Spanish husband and father and journalist with more than 20 years of experience in print and digital media, specializing in sociopolitical and religious information. I have worked for more than 10 years in defense of human rights and have accreditations in Journalism and Comprehensive Communication. Since July 2022, I have been a correspondent for ACI Prensa and EWTN Noticias in Spain, covering international events of the Catholic Church.