(OSV News) — Since the pontificate of St. Paul VI, journalists covering the Vatican have had the unique privilege of direct access to the Vicar of Christ at 30,000 feet.
Continuing a custom embraced by his predecessors, Pope Leo XIV makes a point to walk down the cramped cabin aisle and greet journalists one-by-one, exchanging handshakes, gifts, or personal letters.
When Pope Leo XIV embarks on his apostolic visit to France in September, four Vatican journalists hope to use that brief moment to hand the pontiff the prayers, grief, and fragile hopes of the people of Venezuela.
Venezuelan journalists Lola Gómez, Daniel Cáceres, and José Arnaldo Mujica, as well as Costa Rican journalist Jovel Álvarez, launched “Cartas para el Papa” (“Letters for the Pope”), an initiative aimed at gathering letters from Venezuelans and first responders affected by the twin earthquakes that struck the country June 24.
Way to support their homeland
Speaking with OSV News July 23, Gómez, a photojournalist for Catholic News Service who was born in Caracas, said she and her fellow journalists were looking for ways to support their homeland.
“When you are far away from your country, you feel that you need to do something,” she said. “And we thought, since we are here at the Vatican covering Pope Leo and we’re going to have an apostolic journey in September, what if we open a channel for Venezuelans who are survivors from the earthquakes and for people that were helping to rescue them?”
Instead of managing complex email setups or physical mail, the journalists set up a Google Form to offer a “more simple” option for Venezuelans “to share their feelings, thoughts or questions” — as well as photos — with the pope.
The form will accept submissions until Aug. 15. The letters will be compiled into a single volume and presented to Pope Leo aboard the papal flight Sept. 25.
According to Venezuelan officials, the death toll following the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes that struck the northern state of La Guaira has surpassed 5,300. Thousands remain homeless as relief workers continue recovery efforts.
Caritas Venezuela recently reported that local aid consumption is outpacing intake, prompting calls for financial donations to facilitate local purchases based on shifting needs.
Writing as way to process trauma
Gómez told OSV News that giving survivors and first responders an opportunity to write, rather than send a video or audio message, serves as a cathartic way for them to process ongoing trauma.
“When you put your feelings and thoughts into words, it helps you process what you’ve experienced,” she explained, adding that presenting a compiled volume will allow Pope Leo to read the entries “even on the plane if he has time.”
“With letters, I think it’s more intimate,” she said. “It creates a private moment between the victims or people that want to share their feelings, and the pope.”
Response to the campaign has grown steadily, with organizers receiving dozens of letters from affected regions across Venezuela as of July 23, Gómez said. The initiative has drawn interest not only from local survivors, but also from international emergency responders deployed to the country following the disaster.
Álvarez, she said, was contacted directly by Costa Rican rescue workers who served on the ground in Venezuela asking how to submit their testimonies.
“The first call that we received … Jovel, in fact, who is from Costa Rica, received a call from the rescuers from Costa Rica who were working in Venezuela after the earthquakes,” Gómez said, adding that the team expects submissions to increase before the deadline.
“So we are expecting more letters, but so far we have 52 from every part of Venezuela that was affected,” she said.
While stressing that the initiative is a collective effort with her fellow journalists, Gómez said that on every papal trip she “always tries to bring Venezuela to the pope,” hoping the personal letters will bring her suffering compatriots closer to the pontiff.
“We want them to feel that they are not alone on this path,” Gómez said. “Faith is very important to continue through this horrible path they are going through to rebuild their lives, and they should not feel like they are walking it alone.”
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Junno Arocho Esteves is an international correspondent for OSV News. Follow him on X @jae_journalist.
