The Venezuelan Episcopal Conference (CEV), the country’s top ecclesiastical authority, criticized the nation’s socialist regime this week for its abandonment of the victims of the deadly June earthquakes.
CEV, in a statement signed by the nation’s Catholic Bishops, emphasized that although natural disasters are unpredictable, it is the duty of the government to respond to them — referring to the outrage expressed by Venezuelans who feel abandoned by the socialist regime in the aftermath of June’s tragedy.
Venezuela suffered the worst natural disaster in its modern history last month, when a magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquake struck the South American nation within seconds of each other in the evening hours of June 24.
As of Thursday morning, the Venezuelan regime’s official death toll indicates that at least 5,398 people died and over 16,740 were injured. The devastating earthquakes caused the collapse of nearly 200 buildings and potentially upwards of 60,000 damaged buildings. The Venezuelan socialist regime-built housing complexes — of questionable building quality — were among those that reportedly collapsed almost instantly when the earthquakes hit.
Most of the devastation was centered in the northern coastal state of La Guaira (formerly known as Vargas), with several reports of collapsed and damaged buildings in the nearby capital city of Caracas and other neighboring states. Per the Venezuelan regime, over 23,300 people were left homeless and are currently refuged across 107 temporary shelters.
The Venezuelan regime’s response to the earthquakes — or lack thereof — has been the subject of widespread criticism over the past four weeks. Venezuela, as a result of nearly three decades of socialist mismanagement and mass corruption, was left ill-prepared to face any kind of natural disaster. Both public and private healthcare sectors face a litany of deficiencies and shortages — a situation further worsened by the constantly-failing nationwide power grid and a highly dysfunctional running water infrastructure.
On Tuesday, CEV published a message titled, “Samaritans, Witnesses of Hope” to mark the upcoming one month anniversary of the June 24 earthquakes. In the message, Venezuelan bishops stressed that the reconstruction of Venezuela demands that the Church echoes “the outrage” of the earthquake victims who have found themselves neglected by the nation’s public institutions.
“As we have said, natural disasters are unpredictable; however, it is the duty of government agencies to be prepared to deal with them,” CEV said.
“From now on, we must all ensure that the same mistakes made in the past are not repeated in the reconstruction efforts; otherwise, the most vulnerable will once again suffer the consequences of corruption and indifference,” he continued.
The Venezuela bishops also offered spiritual comfort to the victims of the tragedy, emphasizing that “God is present in the victims and in all those who take action to help those in need.” CEV called for dismissing any interpretation of the tragedy as a “divine punishment” or revenge. The priests pointed out that earthquakes are part of Earth’s natural dynamics, inviting others instead to adopt an attitude of genuine compassion that will help alleviate the suffering of those who have lost everything.
The bishops urged that all relief efforts for the recovery of Venezuela must not forget those most vulnerable and must guarantee transparency and efficiency in the management of the resources so that “the errors of the past and the situations of indolence are not repeated.”
“Looking ahead to the phase following the initial emergency, the pastoral message from the Venezuelan bishops calls for a swift and thorough reconstruction,” CEV said in a statement.
“The Church emphasizes the need to ensure decent housing and jobs for affected families, while avoiding paternalism and addressing emotional and spiritual wounds,” the text continued.
As an act of faith, and to further contribute to the spiritual recovery of Venezuela, the Venezuelan bishops invited all Venezuelan faithful to participate in Masses across all of the nation’s parishes and communities on Friday, June 24, the day of the first month anniversary of the earthquakes.
“During these Masses, prayers will be offered for the eternal rest of the deceased, for comfort for the bereaved, and for the strength of the nation,” CEV said. “The Episcopal Conference urges everyone to continue showing solidarity by organizing the collection and distribution of aid through parish networks and Caritas.”
The bishops also recognized the work and response efforts of all rescue workers and communities that participated in the relief efforts, acknowledging the Venezuelan people’s actions in the emergency as “the main Samaritan.” CEV also expressed its gratitude to the support provided by other countries to Venezuela, and to all religious and humanitarian organizations who have provided help to the victims regardless of religious belief or ideology.
The United States, through the State Department, has been at the forefront of providing humanitarian aid and relief efforts to the Venezuelan people, providing over $310 million in humanitarian support alongside the unparalleled logistical capabilities of the U.S. Southern Command. Numerous other countries, such as El Salvador, Israel, Argentina, and Italy have provided humanitarian assistance to the nation.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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