Chile. The Bishop of Copiapó, Mons. Gaspar Quintana, cmf presided over the celebration of Miners’ Day outside of the San José mine, accompanied by the relatives and friends of the 33 laborers who have been trapped inside the mine since Thursday 5.

At the feet of the images of Our Lady of Candelaria and Saint Lawrence, the prelate invited

the more than one thousand faithful that arrived to the place, not to let themselves be overcome by anguish.
He also stated that this terrible accident is a call of attention on all levels of the state and managerial administration, because it is not possible that, in a country that claims to be developed, the workers would be doing their tasks without the necessary safety measures.

“The development of a people is not only the economic statistics but the passing from a less human situation to one of greater dignity,” the Pastor said. And he added: “Work is not a good that is bought for a specific price but an expression of the human person; persons have a right to work, to a work that is done with real safety margins (…) we humans are not beasts of burden, bit children of God, endowed with dignity and therefore we all deserve that our physical, emotional and psychological integrity be protected.”