Pope Francis remembers the victims of Cromañón Tragedy
Vatican City, 31 December 2013: Pope Francis once again remembered Cromañón Tragedy
on its 9th anniversary and sent a message offering consolation and hope
to families of the victims. The Cromañón nightclub fire in 2004 claimed the lives
of 194 young people and injured 714 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Pope’s message,
addressed to Bishop Jorge Lozano, President of the Argentinian Bishops’ Commission
for Social Pastoral activities, was read out at the Cathedral of Buenos Aires on Monday,
during a special liturgy presided by the Archbishop of the Argentinian capital, Mario
Poli, marking the 9th anniversary of that tragic event December 30th.When the tragedy occurred in 2004, Pope Francis, then Jorge Bergoglio, was Archbishop of Buenos Aires. In his message, Pope Francis said, “In these days in which hope is renewed, I cannot forget the young people of Cromañón, their parents and relatives.”
He asked Bishop Lozano to tell them that he remembers that terrible day and wishes to express his closeness with them. “The wounds hurt and they hurt even more when they are not treated with tenderness,” wrote the Pope. He encouraged the families to treat their wounds with “care and tenderness” and look to the “Child Jesus who is tenderness itself,” for comfort.
The Pope acknowledged that it is not possible to “hide or deny” their wounds, but “only a tender caress, from our heart, in silence, with respect, can give comfort.”
Wishing them a Holy Christmas, Pope Francis invoked the Lord’s all-encompassing compassion as father “to teach us all not to remain alone, but to continue on, seeking out the company” of others. He also requested them to pray for him.
On 30 December 2004, a fire broke out in the República Cromañón while it was hosting a rock concert and around 3,000 people were in attendance. The blaze was started when a pyrotechnic flare was set off and ignited foam in the ceiling. A plastic net was hung from the ceiling and caught fire first, melting into a rain of fire. Four of the six doors, some of which were fire exits, were chained shut so that "people would not enter without paying," according to Mayor Aníbal Ibarra. Most of the victims died from inhaling poisonous gases, smoke and carbon monoxide, unlike most accidents of this kind, where most die from crushing or burning.Source: VR Sedoc
| All the contents on this site are copyrighted ©. |