Texas Bishop Seitz sees deadly Darien Gap for first time

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'You could see the suffering in their faces,' he says

Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, recently spoke with OSV News following his return from the 10th Meeting of Bishops and Migration Pastoral Agents of North America, Central America and the Caribbean, which took place Aug. 19-23 in Panama.

The gathering — which focused on the theme “Walking with the migrant and the refugee” — included a Mass with Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, and a pastoral visit to the Darien Gap. The remote region, located on the border between Colombia and Panama, has become a major and deadly migration route, as thousands navigate its rugged, dense terrain while also battling crime and disease.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

OSV News: What was your overall experience at the migration meeting?

Bishop Seitz: I’ve certainly met with some of these bishops in the past, and we had a meeting last year in El Salvador. … Certainly, the most moving part of the week was when I had the opportunity to go with a small group down to the Darien Gap. So many of our immigrants that have passed through El Paso had to pass through there to arrive (at the U.S.-Mexico border), with immigrants from Venezuela and Ecuador being the primary groups.

OSV News: The Darien Gap has proven to be one of the world’s most difficult and deadliest migration routes. How did you get there, and what was it like seeing a portion of it in person?

Bishop Seitz: The Panamanian government actually offered to take us down to the Darien Gap. They flew us down in a small military plane, and we landed on an airstrip in the Darien in a place called Meteti.

There were about eight of us (bishops) in total….We went by car farther south from Meteti to a place called Lajas Blancas.

We arrived at a little spot on the river where a bit of rustic community has sprung up. They have some little stores that provide just necessities. There is a Red Cross (station) — a very rustic place with a metal roof, but no walls, where people can spend the night. There is also a place to park buses that will ultimately take those who can pay the $60 a person from that spot north to the northern border of Panama.

We walked down to the river, which is fairly wide and rapidly flowing, and we saw these narrow boats that seem to be just put together by hand, just about as wide as a canoe. ….

And one after another, these boats were depositing people who had made the trek through the most rugged part of the Darien to this outpost. A lot of them were unsteady on their legs and needed a little help getting out of the boat. I saw the feet of a number of them; they’re bloodied and blistered. And the children seemed — some of the babies seemed kind of listless.

You could see the suffering in their faces, and it was very moving.

Many of them asked me to bless them. I wanted to do something more, but I didn’t know what I could do for them. So you feel that kind of frustration.

OSV News: How can the Catholic Church accompany migrants in a way that addresses the trauma that drives them from their homelands and that they suffer during their journey?

Bishop Seitz: That’s a very good question. Many migrants have been sexually violated on the way; many of them have been kidnapped and beaten. Even kids are being kidnapped now in Mexico, especially in northern Mexico.

I was thinking that maybe we can find some funding to build a little chapel at one or two of these locations — because for people who do have this journey, their faith is all they have in a certain way, but their faith is powerful, and it’s the only thing that really gets them through.

So we as a church certainly want to let them know that the Lord is with them in these circumstances, and we want to remind them that we love and care for them as children of God.

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