Caritas reports massive relief effort for Venezuela after earthquakes

Specialists from the Caritas network from the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Germany joined local teams to help with sanitation, water, nutrition and shelter.

More than 14,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid had reached earthquake survivors in Venezuela by the end of last week, according to Caritas Venezuela.

Safe drinking water and food are the most pressing needs said the charity in a report titled Tras el temblor, el amor (“After the Tremor, Love”).

It said 9,000 tonnes of aid have been distributed to thousands of survivors of the twin earthquakes, which struck the country on the evening of 24 June.

Hundreds of tower blocks collapsed, burying residents of La Guaira, north of Caracas and in greater Caracas after one 7.2-magnitude quake was followed 40 seconds later by another, measuring 7.5.

More than 4,000 people died, a further 16,000 have been injured. More than 18,000 people are homeless.

“The devastation was enormous,” said Fr Antonio Rella, parish priest of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in La Guaira. “Some places resemble war zones, while others bring to mind apocalyptic scenes, with entire buildings reduced to rubble.”

He asked people to “never stop praying for Venezuela”, saying: “Not everyone can help materially, but a daily prayer for us is worth so much, because it reaches the throne of God”.

Specialists from the Caritas network from the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Germany joined local teams to help with sanitation, water, nutrition and shelter.

At least 25 of the more than 100 churches in the Archdiocese of Caracas were damaged. “Mass is being celebrated for safety reasons outside most of those churches,” said Fr Neptalí Balza, vicar general of the archdiocese. “We don’t want to expose people to risk.”

The bishops of Italy donated an initial €500,000 for urgent relief efforts, while the Jesuits in Britain pledged £50,000 to relief efforts through the Jesuit Missions’ Earthquake Appeal.

Fr Alfredo Infante SJ, the Jesuit provincial for Venezuela, said: “The earthquake may have shaken the earth, knocked down walls and left us exposed to the elements, but it cannot dislodge God’s love for us.”

Speaking at a Mass for the Archdiocese of Caracas, he referred to “testimonies of faith” amid the tragedy.

“People who had lost everything decided to pick themselves up and focus on helping others. They have found a path to healing through solidarity. As St Paul with tremendous vigour said: ‘Who can separate us from the love of Christ?’…

“Nothing, not even the force of nature nor aftershocks nor the dust of the ruins can separate us from the heart of Jesus, who leads us to the Father. His love,” continued Fr Infante, “is the only structure to remain intact when everything else falls. He is our refugee and strength.”

The Sisters of the Venezuelan Province of the Sacred Heart said: “The earthquakes have come to bring down what other wounds had already weakened.”

In a message, they said Venezuela could not access its financial resources abroad “because of the [US] blockade” and the country was also unable to “negotiate the sale of our oil to secure the resources needed for public policies that serve the common good”.

“Amid all this pain that we are trying to process, we are already witnessing signs of the Resurrection: the extraordinary outpouring of solidarity from those who were not directly affected.”

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