Caribbean bishops offer prayers, solidarity following Venezuelan quake

The Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC) has expressed its solidarity with the people of Venezuela following the devastating earthquake that struck several regions of the country, assuring them of the prayers and support of the Catholic Church across the Caribbean.

In a message dated June 25, Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon, President of the AEC and Archbishop of Port of Spain, said the region’s bishops had received news of the disaster “with profound sorrow.”

“We assure the people of Venezuela of our prayer, our closeness, and our fraternal solidarity, trusting in the promise of the Lord, who is ‘close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit’ (Psalm 34:18),” Archbishop Gordon wrote.

Addressing the bishops, clergy, religious and faithful of Venezuela, he said the Caribbean Church stands united with them during the crisis.

“As Saint Paul reminds us, ‘If one member suffers, all suffer together’ (1 Cor 12:26). Though the Caribbean Sea separates our shores, the communion we share in Christ makes us one family in faith.”

Reflecting on the region’s own experience with hurricanes and other natural disasters, the archbishop noted that Caribbean people understand “the anguish of waiting for news of loved ones, the grief of lives lost, and the long work of rebuilding homes and communities.”

He added that the Church has repeatedly witnessed “how faith gives courage, neighbourly love becomes an instrument of God’s providence, and the Church stands as a living sign of Christ’s compassionate presence among those who suffer.”

The AEC also offered prayers for those who died in the earthquake and for those involved in rescue and relief efforts.

“We commend to the Lord those who have lost their lives and pray for the consolation of those who mourn. May He protect those in danger, strengthen the injured and displaced, and sustain all engaged in rescue, relief, and recovery,” the statement said.