Silent procession held in Crans-Montana to honour fire victims

Message of hope at the Mass in Crans-Montana Keystone-SDA

Hundreds of people attended a mass in Crans-Montana on Sunday to pay tribute to the victims of the New Year's Eve bar fire. A silent procession followed the ceremony.

+Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

The aim of the mass, which was attended by a large number of religious representatives and politicians, was not only to pay tribute to the victims but also to comfort those affected by the fire at the Le Constellation bar.

Addressing the assembly, Pastor Gilles Cavin, President of the Swiss Synod, spoke to the young people, many of whom were in the chapel. “What you experience and what you feel matters,” he told them.

“Don’t be afraid to put your emotions, your fears, your anger and your sadness into words. Dare to talk, dare to ask for help, dare to lean on others. Asking for or accepting support is an act of courage,” he added.

Seeking the light

In his homily, Bishop Lovey stressed that it was “unbearable to remain in the darkness of suffering and death, in the blackness of meaninglessness”. And he called on everyone to seek the light.

The mass, attended by 300 people in the chapel and followed by a large crowd outside, including firefighters, began with the hymn “Gloria”. Epiphany is generally a time of joy and hope for Catholics. This contrasts with the terrible situation in Crans-Montana, but it should also give everyone cause for hope, emphasised Bishop Lovey.

A silent procession in the town followed the ceremony. More than a thousand people took part, according to a Keystone-ATS journalist on the scene. The participants marched to the centre of Crans-Montana, in memory of the victims of the tragedy, which left 40 dead and 119 injured according to the latest figures.

Adapted from French by AI/jdp

How we work

We select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools to translate them into English. A journalist then reviews the translation for clarity and accuracy before publication.  

Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. The news stories we select have been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team from news agencies such as Bloomberg or Keystone.

If you have any questions about how we work, write to us at [e-mail]