Nearly 20,000 sailors are stranded near the Strait of Hormuz \u2013 one of the world’s most strategic sea routes, according to data compiled by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).<\/p>\n
However, beyond the economic and geopolitical impact, the war is “shattering the mental health of these workers,” Luis Quinteiro Fuza, Bishop Emeritus of Tuy-Vigo in Spain, said in a statement to ACI Prensa, EWTN News’ Spanish-language sister service.<\/p>\n
“Those stranded on ships, unable to cross the strait for weeks, live in constant suffering,” he said, pointing out that these sailors “live with the real fear that everything could end at any moment due to bombing.”<\/p>\n
One of the priests of the Apostolate of the Sea celebrates Mass with sailors at the Stella Maris Mission in Hamburg Harbor. | Credit: Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The week following the Paschal Triduum, Quinteiro is scheduled to travel to London to hold high-level meetings at the IMO \u2013 the United Nations agency responsible for the safety and security of maritime trade \u2013 which has proposed the creation of a “safe sea corridor” to allow ships to leave the Persian Gulf region and pass through the Strait of Hormuz without any risk.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are facing a really dramatic situation for everyone, especially seafarers and their families,\u201d Quinteiro stressed. Despite logistical constraints in a region where there is virtually no Christian presence, the Sea Apostleship currently maintains contact with some families of people stranded on ships.<\/p>\n
He shared, “Families are experiencing this with immense pain. They are terrified, tracking events minute-by-minute and many tell us they are completely overwhelmed.”<\/p>\n
Furthermore, in many cases, the isolation of ships unable to pass through the Strait of Hormuz has been almost complete since the war began: “Right now, there are ships that have their internet shut down. It’s a state of complete abandonment.”<\/p>\n
“Imagine being on a ship, seeing missiles or devices of destruction flying by. How would it feel to be a person in the middle of that?” Quinteiro went on to explain that the mission of the Church in this context is to provide emotional and spiritual support to both seafarers and their families.<\/p>\n
This constant pressure, coupled with the inability to leave the area, makes the situation even worse: “They can’t go back to their country. They’re stranded. That’s the word: completely stranded.”<\/p>\n
“Ninety percent of global trade takes place by sea, yet, unfortunately, we forget about the seafarers. Moreover, it is an increasingly ugly business, largely employing people from poor countries, which increases injustice,” the bishop said.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV made reference to those stranded in the Strait of Hormuz during the Angelus on Palm Sunday by praying for sailors suffering from the consequences of the conflict \u2013 albeit indirectly.<\/p>\n
![\"cloudy](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/ewtn\/image\/upload\/c_fill,w_1200,h_900,g_auto\/f_auto\/q_80\/v1\/immagine-1-1774959449_x7t13o.webp?_a=BAVMn6E70\"\/)
<\/p>\nLuis Quinteiro Fiuza, Bishop Emeritus of Tuy-Vigo in Spain, head of the Apostolate of the Sea in the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (second from right). | Credit: Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Last November, Pope Leo recognized the legal status of the Apostolate of the Sea, a decision that strengthened the organization’s role as a means of spiritual and humanitarian accompaniment for a group that is often overlooked despite being essential to the functioning of global trade.<\/p>\n
In 1977, the then Pontifical Commission for Migrants published the decree Apostolatus Maris,<\/em> Updating the rules after the Second Vatican Council. Two decades later, St. John Paul II renewed this commitment with a motu proprio Stella Maris<\/em><\/a>Strengthening the mission of the Church in the maritime sector. More recently, Pope Francis entrusted the Dicastery with the direction of this work to promote holistic human development, underscoring the importance of comprehensive care for the people of the sea.<\/p>\n “In the maritime world, there is a great need for justice. Campaigning today means being with these people, accompanying them, and making them feel that they are not alone: \u200b\u200bit means not only defending justice and the rights of workers, but also offering closeness, comfort, and hope in the midst of extreme situations,” Quinteiro explained.<\/p>\n