Pope Francis sent a video message conveying the closeness to the inhabitants of the Spanish island of La Palma, which was seriously affected by the eruption of a volcano that lasted almost three months at the end of 2021.
“I was very close to you and I still am now,” the Holy Father said in his message, recorded at the end of the audience he granted to the Spanish bishops of the ecclesiastical provinces of Seville, Granada and Mérida Badajoz, who are visiting this week ad limina in the Vatican.
The ad limina visit is made by bishops to the Vatican once every five years to report on the progress of their dioceses, to make a pilgrimage to the tombs of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and to meet with the Pope.
“The moment of the volcano eruption, those ashes everywhere, it must be very hard to see that your house, your little field is covered with ashes and you have to escape to save your life. I accompany you in all this and I continue to accompany you”, said the Holy Father in his message to La Palma.
“And I accompany them in the reconstruction. It’s hard, but don’t lower your arms, ”he stressed.
Pope Francis explained that “a reconstruction always means taking a step forward, it means saying that defeat does not have the last word, it means not getting tired of looking at the horizon.”
“I am close to you, I pray for you, I wish you all well,” he added.
To conclude, the Pope said: “Please, I ask you to pray for me. And whoever doesn’t pray sends me good vibes because I also need it. May God bless you all!”
The volcanic eruption began on September 19, 2021, in the area of Cabeza de Vaca, near the town of El Paraíso in the municipality of El Paso, on the Spanish island of La Palma.
The eruption stopped on December 13 after 85 days of activity, being the longest recorded in the island’s history.
Of the approximately 7,000 people who were evacuated, around 1,000 began to return on January 3, 2022, mostly those whose houses were not affected by the lava.