Pain, grief and honour: Malaga mourns Adamuz crash victims at Cathedral funeral

Malaga bade farewell to the victims of the Adamuz train crash on Sunday, 25 January. Bishop José Antonio Satué presided over the commemorative mass in the Cathedral, in a gesture of offering some "light" to the families and close ones of Jesús Saldaña and Samuel Ramos - the two people from Malaga who lost their lives on 18 January.

The ceremony channelled the pain of a community that is still trying to assimilate what happened. Accompanied by bishop emeritus Jesús Catalá and other priests from the Diocese of Malaga, Monsignor Satué delivered a heartfelt homily, acknowledging that those who have suddenly lost a loved one might feel detached from the love of God. "I know that some of you, wrapped in so much pain, have difficulty feeling that closeness," he said, addressing the victims' families.

The bishop spoke to the sounds of the organ, the voices of the choir and the overwhelming silence coming from the funeral attendees, broken only by restrained weeping.

"Even if your heart is full of sadness or anger, even if some of you feel angry with God, he wants to enlighten us with his word," Monsignor Satué said. He called for unity in the face of the "tension and sectarianism" that surrounds society.

The bishop recalled St Paul's message to the Corinthians: "Be together in unity." He said that it was exactly the unity and solidarity of people that were present immediately after the tragedy in Adamuz, when locals and surviving passengers helped each other overcome the painful hours as the number of victims increased.

Monsignor Satué said that these honourable human traits can be forgotten in "private interests or fear of showing our vulnerability". He urged the funeral attendees to not be "infected by the epidemic of polarisation and sectarianism that at times afflicts our society".

The bishop criticised certain political tactics that shine through after such events, such as demanding accountability "when the competent authority does not belong to" the party requesting responsibility. He also denounced those who justify "any wrongdoing when the public office-holder shares their ideology".

"Unity does not exclude accountability, as long as it is grounded in truth, not in spurious interests," the bishop said. He encouraged everyone not to fall into the "temptation" of isolation. "Despite our crosses, we all have something to offer. And even with our many abilities, we all need help sometimes."

Monsignor Satué ended his speech with hope. "Jesus says it in the Gospel: 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' God is always near." While the bishop acknowledged that God cannot protect people from "suffering" and "incomprehensible events", he confirmed that those grieving and hurting are never left alone.

The bishop then mentioned the names of the victims - cardiologist Jesús Saldaña and police officer Samuel Ramos - and those of the injured passengers from Malaga - Raquel, Ana, Isabel and Emil.

"Even if pain makes our souls shrink, even if we know that it will take a long time to heal this wound, we can look to the future with hope and certainty. Because this God in whom we believe knows how to do his work: he will resurrect our deceased brothers and sisters and he will resurrect us too to a more authentic life, a life of greater solidarity," he said.

After the mass, the bishop personally offered his condolences to the victims' relatives. The mass was attended by Mayor of Malaga Francisco de la Torre, regional ministers Carolina España and Arturo Bernal and President of the Provincial Authority Francisco Salado.