AMERICA/VENEZUELA - Prayers and relief efforts by the Venezuelan ecclesial community in the wake of the earthquake tragedy

Caracas (Fides News Agency) “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” These words from Psalm 34 have become the prayer with which Father Ricardo Guillén Dávila, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Venezuela, implores the Lord to make his closeness felt by all Venezuelans in the wake of the devastating earthquake that has struck the country, leaving an as yet unknown number of victims and causing widespread destruction. According to figures released by UNICEF, at least 1.8 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, including 680,000 children.
In a message released on Saturday, June 27, Fr. Ricardo Guillén Dávila said that the grief caused by the earthquake has also reached "the deepest and most sensitive parts of our missionary family." Among the first confirmed victims are Alejandro Osorio, a teenage member of Centimisión, and three young people—Chantal Olivo, Nayra Camacho, and Juan Mieles—from the Hogar de Cristo Youth Mission Station at Santo Domingo de Guzmán Parish in Tanaguarena (Diocese of La Guaira), part of the Pontifical Society of Missionary Childhood and Adolescence and the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
"They experienced in their lives the beauty of friendship with Jesus and that wonderful missionary zeal which led them to proclaim His love," Fr. Guillén Dávila wrote. "Although today we mourn their physical absence, we are comforted by the certainty that the Lord has welcomed them with open arms into His eternal presence, where there is no more suffering. From Heaven, they now intercede for us."
We ask all priests and diocesan directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies to celebrate the Eucharist for the repose of their souls. We offer our fervent prayer to the God of all consolation and join in prayer for their families and for all those mourning the loss of their loved ones. We ask the Holy Spirit to embrace their lives and to pour out upon them the peace, tenderness, and strength they need to endure this time of profound suffering, finding in the risen Christ a sure refuge and salvation.”

The Day of Prayer convened by the Bishops and the Pope’s Words

Today, Sunday, June 28, the Bishops of Venezuela urged every diocese, parish, and community to observe a National Day of Prayer for the victims, the injured, and the communities affected by the devastation, concentrated primarily in the regions of Caracas, La Guaira, Puerto Cabello, Morón, and Tucacas.

In their appeal, the Bishops invited everyone to place “their trust in God, so that shared prayer may be a balm that soothes anguish and rekindles hope in every brother and sister who is suffering.” They also expressed “their profound gratitude to the sister Churches of the continent, to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, and to the international community for their immediate expressions of closeness and affection.”
The Venezuelan bishops also expressed their gratitude for the tireless work of the emergency services, Civil Protection, medical personnel, and volunteers involved in the relief operations.

Today, Leo XIV, speaking from the window of his office in the Apostolic Palace, after reciting the Angelus prayer, expressed, in Spanish, his solidarity “to my Venezuelan brothers and sisters affected by the recent earthquakes, which have caused numerous deaths and injuries, as well as extensive damage to property. Praying to the Lord for the eternal rest of the deceased, I renew my spiritual solidarity with their families, the injured, and all who have been shaken by this tragedy. I also wish to express my gratitude and encouragement to those generously working on search and rescue efforts and providing assistance.”

The testimony of missionary Deiby Fuenmayor

Deiby Fuenmayor, a Missionary of the Sacred Heart, carries out his missionary vocation at the Church of the Holy Cross in a working-class neighborhood of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Caracas. He also provided Fides News Agency with some details about the coordination of aid efforts put in place by the Church community for the most affected populations in the Venezuelan capital.

The support initiatives are coordinated directly by the Archbishop of Caracas, Raúl Biord Castillo, who, immediately after the disaster, personally visited the most affected parishes, accompanied by the auxiliary bishops, “to offer encouragement, words of support… to open our doors to our brothers and sisters,” explains Brother Deiby. Protocols were quickly established to assist the most affected people in the neighborhoods. from Caracas, particularly through the collection and distribution of food and essential supplies. Each parish collects goods and donations, which are then transported to collection and redistribution centers organized by the archdiocese. “We need drinking water, non-perishable food, canned goods, mattresses… Many people are sleeping outdoors, in parks, because their homes are uninhabitable. That is what we are working on,” says Deibys, adding that “even though we are in a working-class neighborhood, people are very generous.”

Many people have found a place to sleep in the less affected parishes, which have become shelters for displaced people. “At the church, in the parish halls… they settle in with mattresses provided by neighbors, while waiting for the government authorities, with international support, to find a way to allow these families to return to their new homes.” “A list of churches in the Archdiocese where the faithful can go to receive Holy Communion has been released, along with a list of churches that cannot be opened due to earthquake damage. Among these is the parish church where Deibys serves, and where parishioners have already begun clearing debris and rubble “in order to assess the extent of the damage, facilitate repairs, and reopen the church for worship as soon as possible.” (JT-EG) (Fides News Agency, 28/6/2026)

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