They are not alone and their pain is ours

USPA NEWS - The Kings of Spain, Felipe VI and Letizia, presided on Thursday in Madrid the State tribute to the more than 28,400 people who died of Coronavirus. The ceremony was also attended by the Princess of Asturias and the Infanta Sofia, arrived at the Royal Palace and were received by the President of the Government, the full Government of Spain, the presidents of all Spanish regions and other national and international personalities as the director general of the WHO and representatives of the EU, NATO and Vatican.

The Royal Family was received in the Plaza de la Armería of the Royal Palace of Madrid by the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, and by the President of the Board of Directors of National Heritage, María de los Llanos Castellanos. Then they received the greeting of all the State authorities; of the European Parliament; of the European Council; of the European Commission; NATO; from the World Health Organization and the World Tourism Organization; as well as members of the Government; of all the presidents of the regional governments; of the former presidents of the Government José María Aznar, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and Mariano Rajoy; of the head of the Opposition, Pablo Casado, and of the president of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces and mayor of Vigo, Abel Caballero Álvarez, and, on behalf of the victims of Covid-19, by Hernando Fernández Calleja, brother of the deceased journalist José María Calleja, and on behalf of the health workers, by the supervising nurse of the Emergency Department of the Vall d 'Hebrón hospital in Barcelona, Aroa López Martín.

At the beginning of the event, which started at 9:00 am and lasted just over thirty minutes, the flame of a cauldron that presided over the ceremony was lit, giving way to the institutional statements of the representatives of the victims of Covid-19 and of the doctors and nurses. Then the ceremony to honor the victims of Covid-19 and recognition of society began, the King and Princess of Asturias, Leonor de Borbón, accompanied by the representatives of the victims and the health workers, in front of the cauldron, deposited two white roses. During this time, Samuel Barber's requiem and Johannes Brahms' 'Song of the Spirit' were played, performed by the orchestra of Radio Televisión Española.

In his address, the King stated that "without a doubt, we have contracted a moral obligation and a civic duty: The moral obligation to always recognize, respect and remember the dignity of the deceased and, especially, the spirit of that admirable generation of Spaniards; and the civic duty to preserve and promote the best values that underlie our coexistence." He went on to affirm that "that moral debt and that civic duty obligate and commit us all. Let us put together, let us put together all our will, our capacity, all our knowledge, all our effort and commitment to be able to look to the future with confidence and hope And let's do it with respect and understanding."

"They are not alone in their pain, it is a pain we share and their grief is ours," recalled the monarch, who recognized the work of civil society and the many professionals who, with their conduct, have demonstrated "the will to serve to the others and to whom we owe an immense gratitude." Felipe VI stressed that "the responsibility, the moral strength, the determination in the face of adversity and the spirit of overcoming of the Spanish people show us the way forward to face and overcome difficulties. We will overcome them," he said, and ended by saying that "that will be, without a doubt, the best renewed tribute that we can offer tomorrow to those who today, with all fairness and merit, we remember, recognize and honor." The solemn act ended with the interpretation of the poem 'Silencio', by Octavio Paz, followed by a minute of silence.