On Monday afternoon, the Kings presided over the funeral mass in tribute to the dead and missing victims of the catastrophic DANA in the Cathedral of Valencia, which was attended by a thousand people, including family members, authorities and citizens. The liturgical celebration did not have the status of a State funeral, as it was organized by the Archbishopric of Valencia with the aim of comforting relatives ahead of Christmas, waiting for the Government and the Generalitat Valenciana to organize their own act of remembrance.
At the end of the mass, which lasted about an hour, Felipe VI and Doña Letizia offered their condolences to the nearly 400 relatives who were present in the central nave of the Seo. For more than thirty minutes, many asked them not to forget them and thanked them for their presence from the first moment.
In a solemn atmosphere, only the readings from the altar, the singing of the Cathedral Choir and the applause for the Kings broke the silence in the Cathedral. Forty-one days after the flood that devastated more than two hundred lives, sad looks and gestures of restrained tears were mixed on the tired faces of those who wanted to say goodbye to their loved ones together. There was also complicity, with hands intertwined and clinging at the moments when the deceased were remembered. Some carried photographs of those absent.
The funeral was officiated by Archbishop Enrique Benavent and was attended by bishops and parish priests from ground zero. In his homily, Benavent also remembered those who have lost their homes or the children who have had their classes interrupted. «We have all shared the same experience and, as we feel like everyone’s brothers, we want to include everyone in our prayer. We have not intended to do anything else by calling this celebration: as a diocesan church we have wanted to show that we share the suffering of everyone, that we want to be close to everyone, and that we want to pray for everyone,” he stated.
«There are pains that we cannot cure. “In many moments we encounter people who cannot free them from their cross, we can only help them carry it,” he lamented, while referring to the “signs of hope” that the tragedy has left, in reference to the volunteers. «Authentic solidarity is that of those who put suffering people at the center of their action and forget about themselves and their interests. Suffering will be overcome if together we are able to stand up, to look at the future with hope, to join our forces in favor of those hardest hit by the tragedy,” to which he asked “that differences do not become divisions.” and that “different perspectives when facing problems do not harm those most in need, that self-interest does not prevail over the common good.” Words he spoke before the crowd of authorities and representatives of civil society who attended the mass.
Sánchez’s absence
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, was not present, but the number two of the Executive and Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, was. Also the ministers of Territorial Policy and Science and Technology, Ángel Víctor Torres and Diana Morant, respectively. The president of the Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, attended and there were also regional presidents, but only from communities governed by the Popular Party. Among them, Fernando López Miras, from Murcia; the Aragonese Jorge Azcón, the president of Andalusia, Juan Manuel Moreno, and the Madrid-born Isabel Díaz Ayuso.
In addition, hugs took place between the 26 mayors of affected municipalities who attended. The Coronation Hymn of the Virgin of the Forsaken closed the celebration. His pilgrim image, in fact, was located on the right side of the presbytery, he wore a purple cloak as a sign of mourning. The Red Cross deployed a dozen troops, including psychologists, to respond to any need of the attendees.
Cries against Mazón
The tension was evident at the doors of the Cathedral. Surrounded by an important security device, several groups of protesters raised slogans demanding the resignation of Pedro Sánchez and Carlos Mazón.
At the end of the mass, up to five people approached the authorities’ banks to ask them for an account. One of them was Lidia, who lost her father-in-law in Benetússer and faced Carlos Mazón. “Go eat quietly wherever you want,” he snapped, while calling him a “coward.”
“He told me that he is very sorry, that he feels a lot of empathy and that they had no information,” he explained. “If they had warned us…”, he lamented, biting his lip and with tears filling his eyes.
#Valencia #mourns #victims #DANA
