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The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit has expressed sadness over several deaths and injuries caused by the train derailment on Wednesday, 24 July near Santiago de Compostela in Spain. In a letter to the Roman Catholic archdiocese, he voiced the WCC’s “solidarity with the families of the victims, with those injured and with the whole Spanish people in your suffering.”
According to media reports, more than 70 people have been killed, while around 130 people were seriously injured when eight carriages of the Madrid to Ferrol train came off the tracks.
Offering prayers for the friends and families of the victims, Tveit said that “we mourn together with their families, friends and with all pilgrims who had been making their way to Santiago.”
Tveit said, “While praying and mourning in the aftermath of this catastrophe, we call upon all those responsible for the security of public transport in Europe and beyond to strengthen their efforts in order to avoid such disastrous events in the future.”
“God has given us the gift of life as a precious gift, and no resource should be considered too expensive in protecting and preserving it,” he added.
On Monday 29 July, the weekly common prayer service at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva will address this tragic event along with similar disasters that have occurred throughout the world in recent weeks.
Read full text of the WCC general secretary’s condolence message
Prayer for the victims of train derailment in Spain
