At the end of the Marian prayer of the Regina Caeli this Sunday, May 5, Pope Francis offered his prayers for the populations of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, in Brazil, affected by monster and devastating floods.
Vatican News (with agencies)
The Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul is facing significant flooding, which has caused the death of around sixty people and the displacement of more than 70,000 others. In his appeals after the Regina Cæli prayer, the Pope had a special thought for the populations of this region, who are experiencing this dramatic situation. “I assure of my prayers the populations of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, in Brazil, affected by significant flooding. May the Lord welcome the deceased and comfort their families and those who had to leave their homes“, declared François.
A catastrophic situation
According to Brazilian authorities, the Guaiba River which flows through the city of Porto Alegre, modern capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, where 1.4 million people live, reached the record level of 5.09 meters, well above beyond the historic peak of 4.76 meters recorded during the floods of 1941. The water continues to rise in the completely flooded metropolis and in around a hundred other localities. The floods have partly cut Porto Alegre off from the rest of the country.
The consequences are dramatic: half a million people were directly affected by the disaster, at least 74 people are missing, more than a million homes are deprived of water and the scale of the destruction is currently incalculable, according to city authorities. There is growing concern about the lack of food and the breakdown of production chains in this agricultural state.
Rainfall, which eased overnight from Saturday to Sunday, is expected to persist for the next 24 to 36 hours and authorities are warning of landslides. According to Brazilian climatologist Francisco Eliseu Aquino, rains are favored by “a disastrous cocktail» which combines the El Niño weather phenomenon with climate change and other extreme phenomena.
Streets are flooded in the city of Porto Alegre.
The solidarity of the Church
Faced with these floods with still incalculable consequences, the Church of Brazil has called for prayer and solidarity. A note of solidarity was published by the Archdiocese of Porto Alegre, in communion with South Region 3 of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, in a common effort of reconstruction and hope. In addition to governmental, military and civil institutions dedicated to the defense of life, the ecclesial communities themselves have opened “their doors to welcome those who have lost everything“. But the request of the Archbishop of Porto Alegre, Mgr Jaime Spengler, goes further: “In this year of preparatory prayer for the Jubilee of the Church 2025, we urge the ecclesial communities to unite in prayer, according to their possibilities, before the Blessed Sacrament, which is the great symbol of communion and sharing, in renewing our commitment as pilgrims of hope“.
