The Bishop of Getafe, Ginés García Beltrán, has visited those evacuated at the Getafe Air Base and announced an action plan to assist the victims of the fires in the southwest of Madrid.
The Diocese of Getafe has launched a care plan for the municipalities in southern Madrid devastated by the recent forest fires. The bishop, Ginés García Beltrán, has led the deployment of spiritual and material support, visiting those affected and coordinating with priests and volunteers.
Since the onset of the emergency, the bishop has been in constant contact with the parish priests of the evacuated towns. One of the major concerns was the fate of the Minor Seminary of Getafe, located in Rozas de Puerto Real, very close to San Martín de Valdeiglesias, one of the municipalities hardest hit by the flames. Fortunately, the seminary was not damaged.
“We are living through dramatic moments due to the fire that has disfigured the face of our land and leaves many people without homes and jobs. This is a time for closeness and solidarity,” declared García Beltrán during his visit to the Getafe Air Base (ACAR), where dozens of evacuated families still remain. The bishop toured the facilities, greeted those sheltered there, and conveyed his support: “May this pass soon and you can return to your homes; we pray for you.”
Additionally, he expressed gratitude for the work of the authorities and Civil Protection, and then travelled to Villamanta to acknowledge the efforts of the volunteers. The auxiliary bishop, José María Avendaño Perea, has also maintained contact with the priests in the affected areas and has brought the diocese's support to the reception centres in Villaviciosa de Odón, Brunete, and Leganés.
At these locations, the priests have accompanied the victims, offering listening, comfort, and celebrating masses. Álvaro Piñero, parish priest of Villaviciosa de Odón, has coordinated assistance for the 300 evacuees from Chapinería, Pelayos de la Presa, and Navas del Rey. Volunteers from Cáritas and the parish have been present every day.
In Cenicientos, another of the most affected towns, parish priest Juan Pablo Flórez, who arrived less than a year ago, rang the church bells on Saturday to announce the evacuation. “I thought of the elderly, the seniors to whom I bring communion, and I went to see how they were,” he recounted. He and his mother, along with other neighbours, were taken to a sports centre in Majadahonda, where the community was desolate. “People started to cry, depressed,” he remembered. His role was “to be a counsellor, a priest, a spiritual guide, a friend, support.” Later, the diocese moved them to the Family Guidance Centre in Boadilla del Monte.
The vicar for Social Pastoral and Charitable Action, Aurelio Carrasquilla, along with Cáritas, the Migration Delegation, and the Integral Ecology Delegation, is developing a concrete action plan. The aim, as they explained, is “to establish the organization, procedures, and management of the necessary resources to respond in the most timely and appropriate manner to the social emergency situations faced by those affected by the fire in the southwest of the diocese.”
Among the planned measures, there is the organization of volunteer teams to assist in cleaning homes and public spaces once the emergency has ended. The bishop will meet in the coming days with the parish priests and clergy of the affected municipalities to define the details of the plan.
“We cannot forget tomorrow, when the fires are extinguished and many people find themselves with nothing. The Church will be there, and must be there, to provide the material and spiritual bread that we will need,” García Beltrán emphasised.
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