Church in Spain rallies to help flood victims

The Church in Spain opened parishes to help flood relief efforts after 217 people died when torrential rain deluged towns along the eastern Mediterranean coast. 

A further 2,000 people were reported missing following the flash floods on Tuesday, October 29.

Around the end of Spain’s working day, around 8pm,  civil protection services sent people mobile telephone alerts urging them to stay home. 

By then, the DANA (Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos) – a rainstorm produced when a mass of warm air collides at a height of 9,000 metres with cold air – was raging.

In eight hours, a year’s worth of rain fell in Valencia. Hailstones large enough to smash windows were reported further south in Almeria and Granada. 

Archbishop Enrique Benavent of Valencia said the DANA was “truly shocking” because of the “magnitude of the tragedy and how quickly events unfolded.”  

He added: “We have offered parish facilities that are in good condition to serve as places of solidarity and refuge.”

In the Valencian village of La Torre, the parish of Our Lady of Grace became a centre for flood relief efforts. One parishioner said the village council “had observed we had a whole load of people here ready to help, the capacity to organise things and an optimal place for serving others.” 

He added: “The Pope challenged us all to cause a ruckus [through loving deeds]. That’s what we’re doing. The parish is literally a field hospital.” 

On Sunday, 3 November, the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain visited Paiporta, a Valencian town where at least 70 people died. Angry crowds  hurled mud at them, shouting “murderers” 

Sánchez left the scene. The King and Queen stayed to listen to residents.  

Much local anger was triggered by the delayed arrival of State relief.

“The national and regional governments have been disastrous,” said one local, frustrated by the lobbing of blame between the left-wing government and Valencia’s right-wing administration. 

Meanwhile, spade-wielding volunteers came by the dozen to help the flooded towns. 

They included mud-spattered nuns and priests, including 27-year-old Fr Federico Ferrando who helped locals in his home town, Paiporta. The parish priest, Fr Gustavo Riveiro, said the task of emptying houses from water – which had risen up to 2 metres high – was proceeding “bucketful by bucketful.” 

On Sunday, Caritas Valencia began to distribute food, masks, gloves and cleaning products in flooded towns. This weekend, every parish in Valencia will offer their Mass collection for flood survivors.

The Pope told the Archbishop of Valladolid Luis Javier Argüello García he felt close to victims of the flooding “in this time of catastrophe.” He assured Argüello, president of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, of his prayers in a video message last week.  

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