CARF would like to remember each one of them by collecting their names and a short biographical sketch, in a "Memorial of Priests and Religious Deceased by Coronavirus". In order to put words to the mourning, and pray for the souls of all of them.
Priest celebrating a funeral mass in Barcelona
According to data from the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE), there are more than a hundred priests and religious who gave their lives because of the coronavirus serving others in Spain in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.
Many of them, men and women, have been close to infected people, caring for and accompanying the sick, in hospitals and nursing homes where the chances of contagion were higher.
As well as the doctors and all the medical personnel sent to the front line in this "emergency", we have also been involved in a number of other projects.war"Priests, often called "doctors of souls," are particularly exposed to the virus. Like the rest of society, they are called to prudence and civility and must adapt the conditions for the exercise of their ministry. vocation based on the imitation of Christ, who became incarnate in the human condition to the point of a humiliating death, cannot ignore human contact, with all the joys and risks that this implies.
Even in countries where it is not possible to celebrate a mass many priests continue to provide the service of communion to the sick and the elderly, maintaining the continuity of a vocation based on self-giving.
In our country, in most dioceses there are priests infected and hospitalized for coronavirus, some of them in the ICU. The ages of these priests range between 55 and 104 years, but there have also been sick and hospitalized younger priests, sometimes in serious condition, and some are still fighting for their survival, as well as cases of priests and religious who have overcome it and are now back in their parishes.
To die in times of a coronavirus pandemic is to leave in solitude and without farewells. It is not easy to manage the internal pain caused by death, especially when we have not been able to accompany them. That is why this special remembrance for all of them.
Father Vicente Elío. "He was a priest who left his mark every day in his school."
Sister Teresa Cabrera. "She was characterized by her sensitivity to social injustices."
Antonio Danoz. "He risked his life to evangelize in the Congo."
Sister Amelia Gonzalez. "She was a very humble, simple and kind sister."
And many more, honored in the Memorial so that their names will not be forgotten.
