The Church is called to ‘silent and shared presence,’ Swiss bishop says after bar fire
January 05, 2026
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CWN Editor's Note: Bishop Jean-Marie Lovey of Sion, Switzerland, said in an interview that the Church is called to offer a “silent and shared presence” to all who mourn the victims of the Crans-Montana bar fire, which left at least 40 dead and 119 injured.
“Faced with a tragedy that has profoundly shaken the local community, the Church is first of all called to a silent and shared presence,” Bishop Lovey said. “The first initiative that was carried out was the Mass,” in a “packed church.”
“People need to gather, to come together again, to live together the emotion and perhaps the comfort that presence can offer,” he added.
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