Playa de los Lances in Tarifa once again hosted the traditional annual prayer vigil, organized by the Diocesan Secretariat for Migrations. The event aims to remember all migrant individuals who have died or disappeared during their land and sea journeys.
On Friday evening, approximately one hundred attendees joined in an act of prayer. They gathered around a patera, illuminated by torches and candles, a symbol that, according to the Bishopric, represents the “cruel and senseless drama” of migration.
“"We are called to live and spread the culture of encounter, an egalitarian encounter between migrants and the population of the host country."
The ceremony was presided over by Mons. Ramón Valdivia, apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Cádiz and Ceuta, who was accompanied by Father Sante Zanetti. It also featured the participation of a delegation from the Muslim community, led by Driss El Ouahabi, president of the Zaouia Chadilia Islamic Association of Ceuta.
Father Sante Zanetti emphasized the need to welcome and integrate migrants, highlighting that their presence underscores the urgency of prioritizing fraternity and solidarity over rejection and indifference. He stressed that migration is a crucial challenge that invites society to broaden its perspective through encounter with this “humanity on the move”.
Following the invocation of the Holy Spirit, several migrants shared their personal experiences, both those who managed to reach Spain and those who were not as fortunate. The event concluded with a prayer for the deceased migrants, the recitation of the Our Father and the Muslim Al-Fatiha, followed by a floral offering to the sea as a sign of mourning.
