– This is a photo that won the international photography award in 1962. This photo, taken by war correspondent Héctor Rondón Lovera, captures a moment in the confrontation between government troops and the rebels. Riot in the city of Puerto Cabello, Venezuela (June 4, 1962).
The center of the photo is a moving image: The soldier was hit by a bullet, he was trying with all his remaining strength to cling to the priest's dark robes. The priest pictured is the military chaplain, Father Luis Padillo. Father Luis put his arms around the wounded soldier's body. His father's gaze was fixed on the other side of the bullet. On the other side were red-hot gun barrels waiting to release deadly bullets.
If we pay close attention, we see bullets scattered on the street. Despite the danger, the priest still managed to reach the soldiers who were in need of his help before his death.
There's a chilling coincidence here: Behind the priest is a butcher shop with a sign that says "Cericira." In Portuguese, Cericira means both a butcher and a slaughterhouse.
War, massacre, killing always expose the ferocity and cruelty of fate. Here the writer does not talk about who is right and who is wrong between the government and the rebels because every war will only bring suffering, death, and mourning.
The picture represents a larger dimension. The priest's cassock evokes a hope for the soldier's afterlife. So he struggled with the last of his strength to cling to the priest.
Suffering has ended, now is the time for the soldier to peacefully enter the realm of autumn. The soldier in the photo has at least one last consolation. Before his death he met his father Luis. Perhaps he can breathe a sigh of peace knowing that he has met God's representative on earth. It was the courage and determination of Father Luis that made the soul and spirit of this photo.
Duc Trung Vu, CSsR
Source: Vietnamese Catholic News